274 waterway offences detected in one month

The police and inspectors from the Transport Ministry's Waterway Inland Administration Registration Department detected 274 offences during a campaign to tighten control over the operations of waterway vehicles and facilities.

During the month-long campaign which started on July 15, the police and inspectors examined 373 tourist boats, 87 hydrofoil boats, 50 waterway entertainment equipment, 48 floating restaurants and 31 tourist ferries.

The authorities in ten localities, including Ha Noi, Hoa Binh, Hai Phong, HCM City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, reportedly fined 86 vehicles and ferries for breaking waterway traffic rules and suspended the registration of nine vehicles for their unsafe conditions.

The waterway police plans to increase inspections during the coming National Day holiday between August 30 and September 2 when the passenger traffic will rise.

Petrol stations get safe tank upgrade

The first eco-friendly and safe underground fuel tanks were installed yesterday at a petrol station in Ha Noi's Dong Anh District.

The double-hulled tanks, made from steel fibre imbedded in plastic, will eventually replace old single-hulled tanks at thousands of petrol stations across the country.

The tanks, which are being made in Viet Nam under a technology-transfer arrangement, will also be used to store chemicals and hazardous liquids.

The project is being backed by the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). It involves both the Viet Nam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) and Japan's Tamada Industries.

It promises to provide much better environmental and fire protection by preventing leakages of fuel into the soil sub-strata.

Masuda Chikahiro, senior representative of JICA Viet Nam, said that the about-US$1 million project was part of non-refundable, Official Development Assistance (ODA) to support small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries by applying new technology and products.

"Together with the development of a car-making industry in Viet Nam, there will be a need to build and expand fuel stations," he said.

"However, all underground tanks now being used are old steel single-shell tanks," he said.

"The new model will prevent the leakage of hazardous and explosive liquids such as fuel, oil and chemicals, thus ensuring environmental safety and hygiene," he said.

Tamada Yoshihisa, a director of the Tamada Company in Viet Nam, said that as fuel tanks were buried deep underground, people normally did not realise the risks from the leakage of liquids.

This could not only cause soil and underground water pollution, but also pose severe fire risks.

Tamada said that his company had completed the technology transfer of the new tank production to Petrolimex.

Colonel Doan Huu Thang, deputy director of the Fire Protection, Salvage and Rescue General Department under the Ministry of Public Security, said that existing tanks in Viet Nam had been buried for 20 to 30 years.

"During checks at fuel stations, we have discovered many where dozens of cubic metres of gasoline leaked into the soil," Thang said.

"The double-hulled tanks, which have been used worldwide, have become a compulsory standard for fuel stations in many countries," he said.

"They will be installed throughout the country soon, especially at fuel stations in the inner city and built-up residential areas," he said.

Thang said his department would work with relevant agencies in Viet Nam to build regulations for fuel stations which install the new tanks.

There are about 13,000 oil and gas stations in Viet Nam, of which about 3,000 belong to State-owned retailers, while the remaining 10,000 were private.

Vuong Thai Dung, deputy director general of Petrolimex, said the new tanks would cost much more than the old models.

Following yesterday's tank installation in the capital city, another two will be introduced in HCM City.

Autumn-winter crops yield high earnings

Farmers from the districts of Thoi Lai, Phong Dien, Binh Thuy and O Mon in the Mekong city of Can Tho are reaping profits from the early harvest of the autumn-winter rice crop.

Farmer Truong Thanh Phong from Thoi Lai District's Tan Thanh Commune said traders bought his undried IR 50404 paddy for VND4,800 - VND4,900 per kg and fragrant paddy for VND5,200 – VND5,250 per kg at the field.

Phong said that his profits totalled about VND15 million ($710) per hectare, after subtracting production costs.

He said that combine harvesters had helped farmers reduce production costs.

According to the Can Tho Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the city has about 61,800 ha of land planted under the autumn-winter crop this year.

The department also advised farmers to strengthen embankments to protect the areas that have yet to be harvested.

Hung Yen fines firm for polluting

The northern province of Hung Yen's People's Committee has fined a local company more than VND120 million (US$5,700) for violating environmental regulations.

The Beeahn Viet Nam Co., Ltd's wastewater was found to have exceeded the regulated standards by ten times, leading to the pollution of the water source in the neighbouring residential area.

The People's Committee also asked the company to halt the disposal of the wastewater immediately and to implement wastewater treatment, conforming to national standards, before resuming its disposal.

Lao Cai strives to wipe out A/H5N6 influenza virus

The health sector of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai are working closely with the local veterinary sector and authorities to eradicate the A/H5N6 influenza virus strain.

The avian flu strain was recently detected in a flock of red pheasants raised in Pho Lu town, making Lao Cai the third Vietnamese locality affected by A/H5N6, after the northern province of Lang Son, on the border with China, and the central province of Ha Tinh, on the border with Laos.

Communication efforts have also been increased to raise public awareness of how to prevent the transmission of H5N6 from fowls to humans.

The Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine has recently ordered Lao Cai to prepare for the virus since it had led to human deaths in China’s Sichuan province.

To prevent the poultry-to-human transmission of A/H5N6, the department asked Lao Cai’s veterinary and human health sectors to disinfect breeding grounds; to closely observe risk areas, particularly poultry farms and markets; and strictly punish the illegal transportation of poultry.

The province, which shares a 203.5km long border with China, was also requested prepare for possible exposure to A/H5N6 and send samples taken from patients with acute respiratory diseases and pneumonia to the Hanoi-based National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology for testing.

Vietnam has not recorded any A/H5N6 patients so far.

According to the World Health Organisation, A/H5N6 is a highly pathogenic strain, but there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission, despite occasional reports of apparent cases of contagion within families.

MoH launches new online registration service

The Ministry of Health has launched an online registration service through which all the sector's administrative services can be conducted online.

The comprehensive service, which is the highest of the four administration service levels in the country, is expected to create more convenient conditions for enterprises involved in the healthcare sector to register their businesses.

At the beginning, the ministry will pilot registration for advertising content of dietary supplements and food with micronutrients under ministry management.

Companies will follow four steps to complete their applications, including online payment for an advertising licence which will be issued within 10 days.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said at the opening ceremony of the programme earlier this month that online registration would enable the public and businesses to complete application procedures via the internet.

She said the online programme would improve management efficiency to better serve community health.

Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) Nguyen Thanh Phong said that the ministry's online registration service would allow the public, businesses and the ministry to save time and reduce paperwork.

"Thanks to the online service, we will not need to store copies of documents or search for applications in the archives," Phong told Vietnam News.

He also said the public and businesses would be able to check the progress of their applications online.

"Online registration will help make the ministry's performance more transparent," he said.

However, technical difficulties were slowing the implementation of the service, Phong said.

"IT infrastructure and human resources are varied, causing difficulties for the VFA," he said.

He said businesses should offer IT training to their employees and invest in technology to utilise the online service.

Nguyen Thi Minh Tam, Hanoi-branch director of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Vinamilk Group, said it took the company longer to send an application by post from HCM City to Hanoi than it did to register online.

Heavy rains prompt emergency efforts

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai urged ministries and localities to focus on minimising the destruction caused by floods, flash floods and landslides.

People were often proactive when it came to minimising storm-related damages to human and property, but remained inattentive to storm-triggered disasters like flash floods and landslides, leading to serious losses, he said.

Typhoon Rammasun, which hit northern provinces last month, is an instructive example. When the storm moved over the country, no human losses were reported. However, landslides and flash floods caused by the typhoon killed 22 people.

In 2008, floods and landslides that followed storms left 120 people dead or missing in northern mountainous Lao Cai and Yen Bai provinces.

Hai instructed those planning infrastructure projects to prioritise safety, saying new infrastructure and housing projects would be strictly prohibited in areas vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.

Localities across the country plan to relocate approximately 28,600 households from areas at risk of natural disasters by 2020.

The Deputy PM assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to work with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to collect evacuation proposals from localities and submit them to the Prime Minister, who would give investment priority to feasible projects. Hai also urged localities to regularly check vulnerable areas and make evacuation plans.

Communication and outreach efforts should be also stepped up, particularly in mountainous localities, where every resident should be informed about how to respond to natural disasters, the Deputy PM said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will advise localities on the implementation of their respective evacuation and resettlement programmes and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will continue to establish flash flood and landslide warning and observation systems in vulnerable areas.

The National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control and Prevention and the National Committee for Research and Rescue on Thursday sent an urgent message to relevant ministries, agencies and northern and north-central localities telling them to prepare for floods and landslides as heavy rain keeps pouring. Residents living close to lakes and rivers and in low areas should be warned to take preventive measures, the message said.

Director of the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre Hoang Duc Cuong warned that the ongoing heavy rainfall would cause floods in lower areas and landslides in mountainous areas.

Rainfall up to 400mm caused landslides in central Thanh Hoa Province, blocking traffic on some roads; flooding and isolating nearly 60 per cent of communes in Quang Son District.

Rain also caused estimated losses of more than VND17 billion (US$800,000) in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong in the past few days.

Flooding and landslides are likely to occur in Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, Bac Can, Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

Land clearance stalls road projects

Land clearance for three major road projects must be completed this year, municipal People's Committee vice chairman Nguyen Quoc Hung said at a meeting with project investors and relevant agencies on Wednesday.

The three projects include a section of Ring Road 1 stretching from O Dong Mac Street to Nguyen Khoai Street, a road from Cau Giay to Nhat Tan approaching Nhat Tan Bridge and a road from Tran Phu Street to Kim Ma Street.

Approved in 2005, the O Dong Mac – Nguyen Khoai road project requires 41,000 sq.m in four Hai Ba Trung District wards (Thanh Nhan, Dong Mac, Thanh Luong and Bach Dang).

The city invested over VND813 billion (US$38.4 million) in the project, including VND669 billion ($31.6 million) for land clearance and compensation. About 850 families have to move to make room for the road, 800 of whom want apartments for resettlement. Yet only 330 apartments are ready for resettlement and none have yet been handed over, according to Ta Ngan Infrastructure Project Management Board.

For the Nhat Tan- Cau Giay project, 1,555 households in Tay Ho, Cau Giay, Ba Dinh and Dong Da districts were required to move. However, 689 did not agree with the compensation rate and refused to move.

According to the city's Construction Department, the city had enough housing for resettled people and would deliver it by September 9.

The Tran Phu – Kim Ma project was approved in October 2011 with a VND225 billion ($10.6 million) budget, including nearly VND150 billion ($7.1 million) for land clearance and resettlement. The 11,750 sq.m project involves the resettlement of nearly 200 households in Kim Ma Ward and Dien Bien Ward in Ba Dinh District, 77 of which have agreed to move. However, 71 of them have not been accommodated because the allocated apartments failed to meet fire prevention regulations.

Vice chairman Hung said that the Construction Department, Fire Fighting and Prevention Department, investors and housing developers would soon complete resettlement projects but did not specify when. The move would not only speed up road building but would also save money for the city, which was currently subsidising temporary accommodation for affected residents, he added.

Director seized for appropriating money

Ha Tinh Police have seized the former director of the Ha Tinh Rubber One Member Co Ltd for allegedly falsifying documents to appropriate VND5.2 billion (US$247,600).

In 2010, the company started a project to plant 1,000ha of rubber in Cam Xuyen District, but the provincial People's Committee had already allotted the land to the Dai Phat Timber Processing Export Company.

Former director Tran Ngoc Son and his assistant Nguyen Thanh Binh collaborated with head of the Cam Xuyen Protective Forest Management Board Ngo Dang Khoa and director of the Dai Phat Company Nguyen Van Ha to forge documents showing they had paid compensation to households affected by the project.

Government aid to build shelters for flood victims

The Prime Minister has decided to provide aid to 14 provinces and cities in the central region to build flood-proof houses for local residents.

Thousands of people in the designated localities are expected to benefit from the assistance policy, to be carried out from 2014 to 2016.

Accordingly, each household in flood-hit areas will receive VND12-16 million to build houses and shelters to prevent floods and storms.

In addition, the Bank for Social Policy will also grant preferential loans for poor families to help minimize risks and deal with aftermath of national calamities.

Teenagers’ awareness of sexual, reproductive health worried

The National Assembly's Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children Affairs (NACEYCA) August 27 said at a meeting on reproductive and sexual health of teenager regulations that young people’s awareness of gender, safe sex and birth control is very low.

The participants released the figure that only 27 percent of teenagers are practicing safe sex in the first sexual intercourse. Children are still victims of sexual assaults with over 1,000 cases per year.

Nguyen Van Tuyet, deputy chairman of NACEYCA, said that teenagers who are from ten to 30 years old make up nearly 40 percent of the country’s population.

In recent years, the birth control demand among young people remains high. There are a few medical clinics which provide consultation and birth control services for teenagers however, most private clinics are no under control by local authorities.

The delegates agreed to add sexual and reproductive healthcare into law. Young people should have right to access information of gender education and living skills in schools, on the other hand, medical clinics should be improved.

There should have a national sexual and reproductive healthcare strategy to mobilize organizations and investors to build more clinics, aiming to supply sexual information to young people, help them protecting their health as well as HIV/ADIDS prevention, said delegates.

The Ministry of Health should provide more sexual and reproductive healthcare services to unmarried young persons and workers in the industrial parks and immigrant people.

Tran Thi Ngoc Bich, who heads the Health Strategy and Policy Institute pointed out the Ministry of Education and Training should separate the sex and reproductive health chapter instead of including in Living Skill chapter.

According to the Ministry of Health, the rate of HIV/AIDS infection through sex in the country was 33 percent, 39 percent, 41 percent, 43 percent and 45 percent from 2009 to 2013 respectively. The rate of abortion among teenagers in the country was 2.2 percent, 2.4 percent and 2.3 percent in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Residents leaving Thanh Da condos amid worries

Many residents in two crumbling Thanh Da condo buildings in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District are leaving for new condos in the same district amid concerns about the price differential they will have to pay as their new homes are larger than the current ones.

There are 243 out of the 297 households living in the old condo buildings agreeing to move but they are worried about the prices of the new apartments which have yet to be clarified by authorities.

The issue was raised by Phan Ngoc Anh Huy, head of Binh Thanh District’s site clearance compensation committee, on the sidelines of a press briefing held Tuesday on compensation, relocation and financial support for the relocated people.

The floor area of a unit in the two Thanh Da condo buildings is 80 square meters while that of a new apartment is 60 square meters, Huy said. Residents swap each of their condos in Thanh Da for two new apartments, meaning they will have to pay rent for or buy the difference of 40 square meters.

As specified in an instruction by the city government late last year, those people moving to the new condo would not have to pay extra costs if the floor area of the new home is the same as their old one. If it is larger, the additional area would be sold or rented to the resident in accordance with market prices, HCMC Vice Chairman Nguyen Huu Tin told a meeting on relocation of the two Thanh Da condo buildings organized last year.

However, the price of the additional area of 40 square meters has yet to be calculated by the local government, causing confusion among the households in the old condo buildings.

Prices of the relocated homes and apartments should be determined by a council authorized by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in accordance with new amendments to the Land Law. However, there has been no responsible agency to take on such a task up to now, Huy added.

Vice chairman Tin at the briefing held Tuesday also ordered the Department of Construction and relevant agencies to set out a number of supportive measures for the residents in Thanh Da condo buildings. The financial aid will be calculated based on the compensation and selling prices of the new apartments.

VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND