Besides the social and economic achievements they have created, the development of industrial zones and complexes over the past years have seen several negative impacts, especially on the environment and to public health. Most recently, scientists and legislators have raised concerns about the serious pollution caused by the Bien Hoa Industrial Zone No 1 and have proposed relocating it. The Viet Nam News spoke with stakeholders about the issue.
Deputy chairman of National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment,
Could you tell us what has been happening?
After studying the project and surveying pollution levels in the industrial zone, we approved a policy to convert the park into a trading, service and residential area. This would limit environmental pollution and protect water in the Dong Nai River.
The river is one of three in the country that has received attention from the Government because of pollution. Bien Hoa Industrial Zone No.1 is old, so it is hard to protect the environment with its outdated facilities.
Converting the functions of the area would contribute to the effectiveness of land use and create favourable conditions for the zoning of Bien Hoa City.
Do you think enterprises will be happy to move out of the industrial zone?
After visiting three enterprises in the industrial park and listening to their opinions about relocation, two said the Government should not go ahead with the plan. Their explanations were logical. They would have to move their factories at a time when their company’s production was stable.
Relocating a factory requires huge expense. They cannot ensure that their skilled workers will want to work at their new factories outside the city. Their concerns are legitimate.
However, I agree with the opinion that relocating the zone will encourage enterprises to upgrade their production technologies and expand their businesses.
What are your suggestions on how to best realise this project?
I think the project should be completed. Enterprises that cause the most pollution must relocate under the Law of Environmental Protection. Getting approval of enterprises is very important.
We should outline a proposed route for the relocation project. And surveys of enterprises in the zone should be done carefully.
If the Government approves the project, there should be specific policies for the companies that have to move. Without specific policies, it would be hard to complete the project properly. Converting the function of the industrial zone is not only the aim of Dong Nai Province but of the whole country.
The companies that are moved should be given priority by the Ministry of Science and Technology to upgrade their business as well as tax policies. Like other deputies, I see the project as a major one, requiring huge resources and firm determination.
Member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment
Is it necessary to relocate the industrial zone and develop a trade, service and residential area in Bien Hoa City?
There are many problems in developing trade and services in Bien Hoa City. HCM City, Ha Noi and other cities have many trading centres. I have not seen a huge trading and service centre in Bien Hoa.
It’s unacceptable to see an area, which contributes much to the country’s industrialisation and modernisation, exist without a trading centre selling products made at its industrial park.
Pollution on the Dong Nai River is not only the problem of Dong Nai Province, it is a national issue as well. Technologies used in the park are outdated. Enterprises need to update their technology, so relocating will be an opportunity for them to do that.
How would workers in the industrial park benefit from the relocation project?
Bien Hoa City contributes a great deal to the country’s industrialisation and modernisation. I cannot accept seeing workers who are making great contributions to industrial development live in backward conditions. They are valuable and should enjoy the benefits of this progress.
I support the police in opening a bus route for workers and providing accommodation for employees whose factories will be moved out of the city. Developing a trading and service area will create opportunities for the development of science and technology in the city. Tourism and other service sectors will also develop.
If we don’t realise this project now, when will the relocation process begin?
We started discussing this in 2007. I understand the concerns of enterprises about the policies. If we have good policies, they will support us.
Nguyen Van Loc, General director of Bien Hoa Sugar Joint-Stock Company
Can you talk about the pollution caused by factories in the industrial zone?
Our factory does not contribute to the pollution of Dong Nai River. In fact, our company is a victim of the polluted water in the river. While operating the factory, we use water from the river to cool our factory’s system.
Every day, we use tens of thousands of cubic metres of water from the river for this purpose. People see the water we discharge and think that it is waste water, but it is only the water used for the cooling system.
Our factory has a waste-water treatment system. If we stay here, our factory will not create pollution. Pollution in the river is organic pollution, not from industrial production.
Do the leaders of Bien Hoa Sugar Joint-Stock Company agree about the relocation?
It’s unfair for us to move so that residential, trading and service areas can be developed. We will be happy to move out of the park if the land is reserved for national security or community interests.
If the project is approved by the Government, we want to have our factories moved during the final stage of the relocation project because our factory, which uses the latest technology from Japan, does not cause much pollution.
The move would be done in the final stages between 2018 and 2022. The relocation process will take at least two years. The company’s production will have to be suspended during that time.
The Government should offer financial support and issue specific policies on the relocation.
Do Thanh Tung, Head of Bien Hoa Sugar Joint-Stock Company’s technical and investment department
How much money will the company need to move out of the city?
Our company estimates that VND136 billion would be needed to move out of the ageing Bien Hoa Industrial Zone No.1. Of that amount, the company, which was created six years after the industrial zone was established, needs at least VND12.6 billion to move. This cost includes facilities and wages for relocation.
Some facilities in our factory cannot be reused or disassembled and put back together at the location. These would need to be replaced with new equipment. Our company estimates it would cost about VND43 billion to make the move.
The cost for warehouses, labs and waste-water treatment system will be more than VND48.8 billion. We also need more than VND31.5 billion to develop infrastructure for a new factory.
What is the current operating status of the company? Will the relocation project affect the company’s revenue?
Every month, our company earns about VND200 billion. Last year, it reported overall revenue of VND2.4 trillion (US$114million). The company has an annual production of about 120,000 tonnes.
The loss the company will suffer could be huge and cannot be easily estimated. And the expense to build a new factory is great. In 1995, when we built another factory in Tay Ninh Province, we had to spend $30 million.
Le Trinh, Director of the Viet Nam Institute for Environmental Science and Development.
Why do you think that the Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Zone needs to be relocated?
The Zone is a technical centre that was set up in the early 1960s. Initially, the zone was located on the city’s outskirts, far away from residential areas. However, with the rapid increase in the urban population since the 1980s, the zone has become surrounded by residential areas. Therefore production in the zone has had a direct influence on people’s health and the urban landscape.
Because the majority of industrial establishments were built before 1980, their technology is somewhat out of date, causing huge waste. In particular, the zone does not have an adequate sewerage or waste water plant.
There are 50 factories in the zone, housing 26,000 workers. According to statistics released by the NA’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, every day, the zone releases 7,900 cu.m of waste water into the Dong Nai River. Meanwhile, more than 95 per cent of the population in HCM City, Dong Nai Province’s Bien Hoa and Binh Duong Province’s Thu Dau Mot uses the water in everyday life. The Binh An water plant, with the capacity to supply 100,000cu.m a day, is just 500m away from the zones waste water sluice-gate.
Therefore, protecting the Dong Nai River is not only to make sure the water can be used for aquaculture purposes, tourism and protecting the local environment, but more importantly to ensure clean water for the residents in all the cities.
What are the pros and cons of the zone’s removal? What should be done before it takes place?
Relocating the zone is more feasible than the plan to build a zonal waste water system. Land from the zone could then be used to build a trade centre and a modern new urban area. Funds from the subsequent land auction could also be used to compensate for the relocation costs.
However, careful consideration must be taken to minimise any social and environmental impacts. Before relocating, we must ensure that the plant that will treat waste from the factories in Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Zone, is capable of handling the volume of waste generated. The relocation must be taken step by step, starting with plants that pose a high threat of pollution such as paper, chemical and battery factories.
The relocation is essential, although it will have a negative effect on job creation and hundreds enterprises. The relocation is actually well overdue.
Do you think that the environmental pollution in industrial zones is the consequence of the zones booming or because of a lack of attention to reports that the environment is being badly affected?
I do not think that the environmental pollution was caused by the industrial zones booming, but mostly by the poor management of industrial establishments that produce a lot of pollution. In fact, if management was tightened up and the waste treatment systems in zones met the national technical standards, the pollution levels that we are currently experiencing would not be higher than that of factories outside industrial zones.
In the future, which factors must be take into account when licensing investment projects in industrial zones as well as when planning zones?
When licensing investments in industrial zone projects and factories, we need to focus on the following elements. First, the planning of industrial zones in cities and provinces must be based on location, coverage, the kind of industrial production and waste treatment and management systems. The Viet Nam-Singapore, Amata and Bac Thang Long industrial zones are good models of industrial environmental planning.
Secondly, assessing effects on the environment must be listened to, particularly the accumulative effect of several projects in the same industrial zone and the effects the whole zone has on the environment and surrounding populations living conditions. It is also necessary to appraise the technology and efficiency of the waste treatment systems proposed when planning industrial zones.
Thirdly, when assessing projects in the zones, those using outdated technologies must be removed. Factories which are likely to cause a lot of pollution must not be allowed in industrial zones located near sources of water that are also used for human consumption, central urban areas and ecological areas.
Finally, the Environment Protection Law (amended in 2013) must stipulate that separate projects in industrial zones must produce their own environmental assessment report because the environment assessment made when planning industrial zones is not accurate enough to predict the precise effects on the environment. The report should also propose ways of controlling pollution levels in every project in the zone. — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News