Building Binh Xuyen District as Green and Sustainable Model

Binh Xuyen district has constantly strengthened coordination in environmental management in local industrial zones to ensure sustainable development.

Wastewater treatment infrastructure in industrial zones is built synchronously and modernly

Currently, the district has seven industrial zones, including five in operation with a total area of nearly 1,200 ha: Binh Xuyen, Binh Xuyen II, Ba Thien, Ba Thien II, and Thang Long Vinh Phuc. All these five IZs have centralized wastewater treatment systems with a daily treatment capacity of 17,000 cubic meters (versus actual wastewater amount of over 8,000 cubic meters a day in five IZs) and have adequate technical infrastructure for environmental protection, including automatic wastewater monitoring systems, centralized wastewater treatment systems, rainwater drainage systems, solid waste storage areas and other technical facilities for environmental protection. Wastewater must be treated to meet the standards subject to industrial zone infrastructure companies before being released into centralized wastewater treatment systems in industrial zones.

To gradually improve the environmental index in industrial zones, Binh Xuyen district always encourages and mobilizes tenants to actively upgrade production technology to minimize environmental impacts. Furthermore, the district’s specialized agencies coordinate with the province’s relevant bodies to regularly test water and air samples, inspect storage areas, waste treatment and tree planting at their workplaces. The district requires investors to apply environmental protection right from the time of planning, infrastructure construction, centralized wastewater treatment system construction, prevention and response to industrial environmental incidents. During the construction process, infrastructure investors of industrial zones in Binh Xuyen district have concentrated large financial resources to build waste treatment plants. They also spend 10-20% of the land fund for trees, lawns, and flower gardens to create green spaces for better environmental protection and improve worker health and community health around industrial zones.

Mr. Nguyen Van Kien, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Binh Xuyen district, shared that the department consulted the District People’s Committee to complete the Binh Xuyen detailed environmental protection project in 2021-2025 and to 2030. The agency enhances State environmental administration and actively coordinates with the Vinh Phuc Industrial Zones Management Board and local authorities to organize many training courses on environmental protection for local companies. The department coordinates with related bodies to take samples at ponds and lakes to assess the degree of environmental pollution and lay the foundation for dredging and upgrading wastewater treatment areas. In 2022, the department randomly checks regulatory compliance on environmental protection in five local companies. According to inspection results, they basically observed regulations on environmental protection.

The Binh Xuyen District People’s Committee is committed to further inspecting the observance of environmental protection laws in local producers and strictly handling violations of environmental regulations to gradually enhance environmental quality and raise public awareness of law compliance. The committee will focus on directing specialized agencies to plan some routes across industrial zones to completely terminate littering and improper collection of garbage, especially on roads through industrial zones. The committee effectively carried out the approved environmental protection project in Binh Xuyen district in 2021-2025 and to 2030.

In addition to enhancing communications to raise public and business awareness of environmental protection, Binh Xuyen district will focus on planning work, give priority to attracting environmentally friendly high-tech projects, gradually improve the living environment for people, and become a greener, cleaner, and more beautiful industrial district.

By Le Nam, Vietnam Business Forum