VietNamNet Bridge – A meeting was held in coastal Vung Tau City on June 5 to mark Vietnam’s Sea and Islands Week, World Environment Day (June 5) and World Oceans Day (June 8).

The theme of this year's Sea and Islands Week is ‘Vietnam will become stronger and prosperous from the sea’, World Environment Day’s theme is ‘Green economy: Does it include you’ and the theme for Oceans Day is ‘Youth: The next wave for change’.

These themes require each citizen, especially the younger generation, to get together and promote the value of the marine and island environment to help with sustainable development.

At the meeting, senior officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said that every Vietnamese citizen, every organisation and business should take responsibility for protecting the environment, the sea and the country’s islands.

Vietnam has sovereignty over 1 million km2 of sea and continental shelf, more than 3,260km of coastline and over 3,000 archipelagos and islands.

To tap into the full potential the sea and islands have to offer, the country’s strategy to develop the maritime economy is just one of the five key parts of the national strategy for economic development from now until 2020 and beyond.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau province has led the way in taking advantage of the sea and islands’ potential for economic growth. With its maritime economy making up such a large proportion of the province’s economic structure, it has paid special attention to socio-economic development while protecting the environment, bio-diversity and natural resources.

* HCM City to expand drainage systems

A new flood-prevention scheme will include construction of a sewage sluice system and widening of sewage sluices in districts 4, 6, and 8 in HCM City, in response to the increasing drainage needs around the city.

The new construction project aims to increase the capacity of Dong Dieu Pumping Station and Binh Hung Sewage Disposal Company, from 141,000cu.m to 469,000cu.m every day. The goal is to reduce water pollution in Tau Hu-Ben Nghe canals.

The project has been put out to competitive tender for builders and supervisors.

Under the plan, in 2013 the widening work will begin at the Binh Hung Sewage Disposal Company. The second phase of the project will be completed and put into use by 2016.

The city has 14 flooded areas in the centre and 17 in suburban districts, according to HCM City's management board of flood-control programme.

Seven of the regularly flooded areas in the city have been treated successfully since January.

At least 172 drainage projects have been completed under the city's environmental sanitation programme, which involves upgrades to infrastructure and improved water sanitation.

The city also plans to build 100 drainage systems covering an area of 100 sq.m, mostly in central districts such as 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11 and districts Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh.

Drainage systems in the city can only meet 30 per cent of the demand.

The drainage construction scheme approved by the Prime Minister in 2001 called for work covering only 860sq.m, but that has been extended to an area of 2,095sq.m.

VNN/VNA/VNS