Since 2008, the Prime Minister has approved the establishment of 15 concentrated industrial parks in Bac Ninh province. The province will have more space for investors, but will face more pressure around environmental protection.
From practical challenges
Industrial parks in Bac Ninh house many large-scale factories and companies. Apart from positive impacts on the economy, they are adversely affecting the surroundings. Primary environmental pollution caused by industrial parks is wastewater, gas emission and solid wastes. Clearly defining the importance of environment to livelihoods of people and the society, the Bac Ninh Industrial Zones Authority has adopted many policies on environmental protection to minimise harmful effects of industrial production on workers and residents in surrounding areas. Thus, “strengthening State management over environmental protection is a key task of Bac Ninh province in industrial park development plan in the 2010 - 2015 period.”
At present, a relatively complete and consistent system of policies and laws on environmental protection creates a legal framework necessary for the State management of environmental protection. However, some points of documents guiding the implementation of the amended Environmental Protection Law 2005 are not suitable for the current situation and new amendments to the law are necessary, particularly content relating to environmental protection in industrial parks.
Strengthening State management over industrial zone environment
The Bac Ninh Industrial Zones Authority has actively coordinated with the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Provincial Police Department to supervise, manage, and protect the environment in industrial parks.
In recent years, many companies carried out environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports, thus improving the quality and effect of the work and shortening the time for appraisal and approval.
Industrial park infrastructure developers are requested to make IEA reports when they prepare investment procedures. The reports must be approved by central agencies licensed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. When they start construction on infrastructure, they must follow all commitments in EIA reports they have made. Particularly, they must build rainfall drainage systems and wastewater treatment facilities separately to ensure that water discharged from their industrial parks meets standards. They must have facilities to deal with hazardous wastes. At the same time, they must have equipment to respond to environmental incidents. When they put their industrial parks into operation, all commitments they made in EIA reports must be completely fulfilled, except for wastewater treatment facilities which might be built in many separate phases, depending on their requirements like the progress of land leasing. They must apply annual environmental supervision programmes for their industrial parks.
As industrial park EIA reports have been made by developers, secondary investors have to carry out EIA reports or make environmental commitments to the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Bac Ninh Industrial Zones Authority for appraisal and approval, depending on the nature and scope of their projects.
When they carry out their projects, investors must strictly comply with their commitments in EIA or environmental protection commitments. Major contents of these commitments are construction and operation plans for environmental protection.
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