Experts discuss plans for Truong Son Mountains

Leading environmentalists discussed protecting the bio-diversity of the Truong Son mountain range along the central coast at a seminar held in Hue last Friday.

They made five presentations on the range's bio-diversity, ensuring its environmental protection, and the serious threats to its bio-diversity.

The range, which runs from Thanh Hoa Province in the north to the south-eastern region, has many rocky mountains and is home to unique and diverse flora and fauna, including many rare species.

Its bio-diversity is of great importance not only to environmental protection but also to preserving the cultures of ethnic groups residing there.

It is also helping to slow down climate change in its vicinity, according to the experts.

The seminar was organised by the Association of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Viet Nam, the Institute of Natural Resources and Environment, and the National University of Hue.

Transport dept pinpoints sites prone to landslides in city

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has just given a list of 45 riverside locations that are prone to landslides, especially during the rainy season and during the time of flood tides.

The 45 landslide sites are mostly located in the Thanh Da area along the Saigon River in Binh Thanh District, Hiep Binh Phuoc and Hiep Binh Chanh wards in Thu Duc District and several residential areas along the Soai Rap and Long Tau rivers in the outlying districts of Nha Be and Can Gio.

According to the transport department, since the beginning of this rainy season, the city has seen five landslides that claimed huge property damages to riverside residents.

A landslide in Thanh Da area in July this year, for instance, dragged up to 11 houses into the Saigon River within a night after the river flow formed a cave-in stretching 50 meters along the riverbank.

In an effort to prevent serious landslides in the coming time, relevant agencies in the city are carrying out two projects in Nha Be District and will soon start work on ten other projects elsewhere in the city, according to the transport department.

Businesses urged to use ‘green' materials

Vietnamese businesses should expand production and use of non-baked construction materials as they are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, an expert has said.

The traditional baked bricks destroy agricultural land, require large amounts of fuel, and harm the environment and human health.

According to Thai Duy Sam from the Ministry of Construction's Building Material Institute the use of non-baked materials not only helps avoid these disadvantages but is also eco-friendly due to the use of recycled industrial waste.

Waste like cinder, cement and grit are used to make the materials.

By 2020 annual demand for bricks in the country will rise to 41 billion-43 billion.

If they are all made from clay, 57 million-60 million cubic metres of earth and up to 5.6 million tonnes of coal will be required.

Under a plan to develop their production, the country envisages using 20-25 per cent of non-baked bricks for construction by 2015 and 30-40 per cent by 2020.

Last year the rate was 8-8.5 per cent. If the 2020 target is achieved, every year 15 million-20 million tonnes of industrial waste will be recycled for construction and 1,000ha of agricultural land saved.

In the same year kilns are sought to be completely eliminated though it is unclear how the demand for bricks will be met.

To encourage production of non-baked materials, the Government is offering businesses import tax and corporate tax breaks.

It has also ordered the Ministry of Construction and other ministries to find technological solutions so that all industrial waste generated in the country can be used to make non-baked materials.

Production of non-baked bricks is mainly in the small-scale sector. There are around 1,200 production facilities that churn out 1.7 billion bricks a year.

Tran Van Huynh, chairman of the Viet Nam Construction Materials Association, said due to their economic benefits, non-baked bricks are becoming globally popular.

The hurdles to making a wholesale switch to non-baked materials include the entrenched nature of the habit of using traditional bricks and lack of incentives for making them.

The lack of policies on the production and use of non-baked bricks, construction standards, and prices is causing difficulties in using them for designers and architects.

Sanitation, bridge projects rile public

HCM City Department of Transport has complained about the slow progress on Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Environmental Sanitation Project and construction of Hoang Hoa Tham Bridge.

It was a waste of time and money and residents were upset about it, the department's deputy director Bui Xuan Cuong said.

The hold-up was caused by capital shortages, and delays in site clearance compensation, according to a report at a meeting of the HCM City People's Council on Wednesday.

The slow removal of underground facilities, including cabling and drains, was another problem, said Tran Quang Phuong, Director of the Transport Department.

Phuong said residents were increasingly concerned about the progress and construction quality of these projects.

Other major infrastructure projects were completed this year including Vo Van Kiet Highway, the first stage of Thu Thiem Bridge, North-South Highway and Cat Lai Intersection of the East-West Highway project which have improved traffic problems in the city.

In 2010, the Department has managed 173 infrastructure projects with total capital of VND2.25 trillion (US$112 million).

As of October 31, 63.34 per cent of the capital for 2010 was disbursed. Cuong said the Department is urging construction of these projects so that 90 per cent of capital for 2010 can be disbursed by the end of the year.

Source: VNS, dantrinews