HCM City augments environmental protection efforts
Ho Chi Minh City is set to carry out five groups of measures for environmental protection during 2021 - 2030 so as to continue easing pollution, improving environmental quality, and adapting to climate change towards the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal in HCM City has gained a facelift in recent years. (Photo: nhandan.vn)
HCM City (VNA) – HoChi Minh City is set to carry out five groups of measures for environmentalprotection during 2021 - 2030 so as to continue easing pollution, improvingenvironmental quality, and adapting to climate change towards the SustainableDevelopment Goals by 2030.
Nguyen Toan Thang, Directorof the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the municipal People’s Committee approved an environmental pollution mitigation programmefor the period with five groups of measures.
Apart from increasingcommunications, the city will perfect mechanisms and policies for attractinginvestment to environment protection, ensure favourable and equitable accessfor investors to develop environmentally friendly technologies, and consolidatethe apparatus and human resources for implementing the set targets.
It will step up examinationof natural resource use, environmental protection, and climate change response.Besides, cooperation with nearby localities and international partners will beenhanced to solve environmental issues and cope with climate change.
In particular, HCM City willboost investment in high technology, encourage the application of advancedtechnology and equipment to production and business activities, minimise wasterelease, thoroughly deal with pollution, utilise waste to produce energy, andfocus on structural solutions to help ease pollution.
From now to 2025, the citywill mobilise more than 41 trillion VND (1.8 billion USD) for building various wastewater treatment plants so as to raise the rate of treated wastewater to 58percent by 2025 and 88.3 percent by 2030, Thang said.
Highlighting significantresults of the pollution mitigation programme for 2016 - 2020, he noted all theindustrial parks have been equipped with concentrated wastewater treatment systems,100 percent of the landfill sites met technical standards, and 100 percent of the local households accessed clean water.
The biggest success is thatpublic awareness of environmental protection and climate change response hasbeen improved, while many pollution hotspots eliminated and turned into placesfor community activities, according to the official./.
The 2020 Law on Environmental Protection, taking effect on January 1 this year, is expected to create substantial changes to people’s awareness and promote businesses’ action in this issue.
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Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal in HCM City has gained a facelift in recent years. (Photo: nhandan.vn) 
