Viet Nam and the Netherlands yesterday agreed to jointly draft a master plan for developing the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta which faces the imminent threat of climate change.
Government officials and experts from both sides wrapped up a two-day forum for the purpose in HCM City, held under the auspices of the Partnership Agreement for mitigating sea-level rise in Viet Nam signed by the two countries' prime ministers in Brussels last April.

To co-ordinate the Vietnamese – Netherlands Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) on Water, they agreed at the forum to set up a joint Vietnamese and Dutch governmental committee, chaired by their respective deputy prime ministers.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment will work under the committee to manage four different aspects – the plan to develop the delta region; co-operation between Rotterdam and HCM City; exchange of knowledge; and the Vietnamese – Netherlands water forum.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai, who chaired the two-day meeting, said until next March the SPA will focus on the development plan for Cuu Long Delta.

It is the most threatened by climate change in Viet Nam, especially by rising sea levels.

Lai said the Vietnamese side will soon set up a permanent office and four consulting groups – for environment and infrastructure, sectors that use water and land resources, developing long-term scenarios for the delta's development, and developing governmental institutions for the purpose.

He sought Dutch prompt assistance in drafting criteria for selecting members for the groups, defining what needs to be done, and budgeting.

Aalt Leusink of the Netherlands Cooperative Programme On Water And Climate and head of the Dutch delegation, said the funds required by the Dutch side will come from its government.

The Vietnamese side will draw funds from the National Programme for Adaptation to Climate Change and soft loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asia Development Bank.

Prof Cees Veerman, former Dutch minister of water resources, will be the chief consultant. He was nominated by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
Delta struggles with waste as landfills keep on overflowing

Improper storage of solid waste and a shortage of proper treatment methods have made it very difficult for authorities in Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta to deal with a growing waste management problem.
Dr Nguyen Phuc Thanh of Can Tho University said at a conference held in HCM City last week that burying waste was one of the methods used in the region, but many landfills are already overloaded.

Phung Chi Sy, deputy head of the Institute of Tropical Technology and Environment Protection, concurred with Thanh, noting that Tien Giang Province's My Tho City had two landfills covering 2ha that were expected to operate for five years. But one of them had become in just two years, he said.

Like My Tho City, the province's Go Cong Town also has a 6,000-square metre landfill that was expected to operate until this year, but had to stop in 2007 after becoming full soon.

Yet another problem was treating water seepage from the landfills. Not enough attention has been paid yet to this, leading to the contamination of underground water sources.

Composting had yet to acquire widespread use in the delta, although this has been introduced to residents several times, he said.

However, the propagation of this method has not received the support needed from the local authorities, Thanh added.

Incineration has also not been applied widely in the region because existing incinerators have failed to meet pollution standards on the discharged gas, he said.

According to the latest report released by the Southwest Environmental Protection Agency and Water Resources University No2, around 3.7 million tonnes of solid waste is discharged into the delta's environment each year. Most of this is not collected or treated properly, and it is a common practice that it is released into local canals without treatment. It said river waters were highly contaminated with the coliform bacteria (around 300,000-1,500,000 per 100 ml).

In An Giang Province, nearly 700 tonnes of rubbish is discharged every day, only 34.7 per cent of which is collected and treated. The province only collects 76.5 per cent of the 102 tonnes of industrial waste generated each day.

An Giang has 18 waste collection companies and 11 landfills, but many of them fail to meet standards. Worse still, some are located in flood-prone areas, leading to serious environmental pollution during seasonal flooding, Sy said.

The provinces of Dong Thap and Long An are also in the same situation, with the concentrated rubbish dumping sites posing a danger to residents' health, he added.

In the provinces of Kien Giang and Hau Giang, waste from markets, schools and industrial parks are collected and transferred to landfills that are located near residential areas.

Moreover, the vehicles used to transport the waste are small trucks, trolleys and small boats, Sy said.

Thanh called for delta authorities to formulate a comprehensive solid waste management strategy that improved the health and pollution situation in landfills, increased co-operation between State authorities and private companies and encouraged the use of composting.

The subject of solid waste management should be introduced into school curricula as part of efforts to increase awareness of environmental protection at an early stage, he said.
Iron-ore mine starts clean-up after mudslide

The Viet Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vina-comin) has taken responsibility for repairing damage caused by a mudslide last week in northern mountainous Cao Bang Province.
A sea of mud and water surged from a dam built to hold earth from an iron ore mine operated by Cao Bang Minerals and Metallurgy Company, a subsidiary of Vinacomin, which inundated houses and fields in Duyet Trung Commune and submerged roads.

Deputy General Director of the group Phung Manh Dac said the company was building a pipeline to pump the mud back into its dams and that cranes would be used to clear the mud from roads. Pumps would be erected to remove mud from homes.

The company had planned to resettle Ma Thi Bach's household, which was most affected by the spill in Na Keo Hamlet, but she did not want to relocate. Instead, the company provided her with VND7 million (US$333) and removed the mud from her house.

Four other households received VND1 million ($47.6) each for being forced to move from the mud covered area.

Company deputy director Dam Trung Ky said it had used four excavators, eight trucks and over 200 workers to dredge the mud and prevent local residents and cattle from falling into streams.

The provincial People's Committee has asked the company to complete dredging no later than December. However, company leaders said it would not be able to meet the deadline because of the huge amount of mud covering agricultural lands and stream banks.

It has also been unable to come up with a plan to prevent the mud from entering Bang River.

In response to health concerns, Vinacomin announced the mud was made up of water, not chemicals, so it was non-toxic. However, deputy head of the provincial Environment Protection Department Doan Ngoc Bau said submerged trees could die from a lack of oxygen.

Chairman of the People's Committee, Nguyen Hoang Anh has asked authorities to evaluate the mud to determine its potential to harm human health.

Four dams were build to hold earth extracted from the company's iron-ore mine. Two of the dams have not been used while the third became overloaded.

Vinacomin also approved a plan to build a 14ha dam with a total investment of VND30 billion ($1.5 million) but it was rejected because no environmental report was completed.

As of yesterday, mud continued to flow into the river.
Source: VNS, dantrinews