Environment and natural resources
Pollution and waste
Residents fear restart of coal power plant
A coal-fired power plant in southern Shan State that was shut down two years ago due to residents’ complaints may be reopening, despite the opposition of the local community, villagers say. They are already accusing local officials of breaking their promises. Test operations at the plant, ...
Ministry names 30 environmentally unfriendly projects
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced a list of 30 thermal electricity, hydropower, chemical and mining projects that are posing risks to the environment. Among the environmentally unfriendly projects are thermal power plants Thai Binh 1, Vinh Tan 2, Vinh Tan 4, expanded Vinh ...
Gov’t names 27 potential polluters
Up to 27 projects of seven State corporations are listed in a Ministry of Industry and Trade’s directive as being liable to cause environmental pollution. In the directive on strengthening environmental protection issued this week, Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh requested all relevant ...
Authorities told to tackle water pollution to prevent deaths of aquatic animals
Dr Nantarika Chansue, head of the Veterinary Medical Aquatic Animal Research Centre at Chulalongkorn University, said on October 12 it was too late to do anything about the recent deaths of giant freshwater stingrays but authorities could work to restore the water quality in the ...
Illegal waste imports reach alarming level
Mismanagement and legal loopholes have both lent a hand to enterprises to illegally import prohibited waste. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee convened a meeting on September 13 discussing the amendment of the Technology Transfer Law. At the meeting, National Assembly’s Chair Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan asked: “Will ...
Thermal power plants increasing on Hau River
Why are coal-run thermopower plants located on the Hau River? Why do the plants all use Chinese technology? Will there be another Formosa on the Hau River? These are questions raised by environmental experts about the appearance of many coal power plants believed to threaten the ...
Thousands killed by air pollution yearly: study
A new study by the World Health Organization has found 3 million deaths a year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution, with nearly 90 percent of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries like Cambodia. The WHO said Southeast Asia bears one of ...
PM orders West Lake fish-death probe
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on October 3 asked Hà Nội People’s Committee to handle the West Lake mass fish death incident, of which fish losses have already reached 60 tonnes and counting. PM Phúc also ordered district authorities to work with water service agencies to inspect ...
WHO: 90 percent of world's population breathe dirty air
Nine out of 10 people globally live in places with poor air quality, the World Health Organization has said, blaming a worldwide air pollution crisis for being a major factor in millions of deaths per year. In a new report released on September 27, the health agency ...
World Bank funds environmental protection projects
The Environment Protection Fund and the World Bank recently provided funding for the second phase of four environmental and social protection sub-projects in Laos at a cost of more than US$4 million. The first sub-project named Capacity Building for Pollution Control, Waste and Hazardous Chemicals Management ...
