The Law on Environmental Protection 2014 has implemented many new articles that make people more active in protecting the environment. The most important thing is that people empower in monitoring the implementation and enforcement of environmental protection law.
People are involved in environmental protection
Each people are one of the factors involving in protecting the environment. People are those who suffer from environmental pollution or those destroy the environment.
The Decree 19/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection has one chapter on community participation for environmental protection. In this chapter, the Decree specifies that the information related to environment must provide to the residential community and the community has the right to involve in question and get consultation opinion to monitor environment in projects and is entitled to participate in accessing the results of environmental protection.
The most important article is that people has the right to contribute their opinions to the State advocacy and policy in environmental protection. Specifically, prior to the approval, the competent authorities have to consult the people for building environmental protection strategy, planning, programs and projects at national, regional, inter-regional and provincial levels, building legal documents on environmental protection; identifying environmental criteria in strategies plannings and socio-economic development plan at provincial, national, inter-regional levels.
Furthermore, publicized environmental information will also empower people in practice. According to Decree 19, 8 types of information must be provided at least once a year to the community.
These are legal documents on the environment; report of the national environmental situation; List of establishments causing serious environmental pollution; List and information about the sources of waste, the hazardous waste materials listed by the state management agency on natural resources and the environment; the results of inspection, handling of violations of facilities, businesses in residential areas.
Popularizing people’s rights and responsibilities of environmental consultation
The law clarifies regulations on people participation in building projects, however, the law on environmental protection has specified and expanded the consultation scope. According to experts, the community participation in consulting and monitoring need specific regulations.
To talking over the issue, in a recent conference, Dr. Dao Trong Hung (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) said that the organization for community participation is extremely important and not easy to implement. To effectively implement environmental projects, the contents must be put in local resolutions from the commune level.
According to Dr. Duong Hong Thanh, representative of the Government Inspectorate, people still think that protecting the environment is the state responsibilities. “We should find ways to let people involve in monitoring the projects. At first, people should know their rights and responsibilities through communication, training, participating in the pilot models” said Thanh.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
