Environment and natural resources
Pollution and waste
Transport largest source of air pollution
Yangon’s traffic congestion is a major factor in fouling the city’s air, experts say. Speaking at an air quality seminar, Dr Than Htut, a retired head of the Occupational Health Unit, said it was the most important of three major causes of air pollution, the ...
Ho Chi Minh City needs $603m to clean canals
Ho Chi Minh City will need VND13.5 trillion (US$602.678 million) more for its programme to improve water bodies, which started in 2001 with the aim of cleaning up all canals, the People’s Committee has said. Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said the money would be used for ...
Fish kill blamed on pollution
A total of 1,119 tonnes of fish raised in cages along the Cai Vung River died from 3 to 9 February, according to the latest statistics released by the An Giang and Dong Thap provinces’ agricultural sector on 15 February. The Cai Vung River is the ...
Polluters hurt Cambodia: study
Cambodia is suffering disproportionately from the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions from more developed nations, according to a new study published in the journal Nature on 5 February. The study, conducted by University of Queensland and the Wildlife Conservation Society, found that the top 20 emitters, ...
Trash pact in crosshairs
City Hall has warned Phnom Penh’s sole waste management firm that it has just one more opportunity to lift its game before its oft-criticised contract comes under threat. Following a meeting on 12 January between Cintri and local authorities to review the firm’s performance, Ieng Aunny, deputy ...
Wastewater problem growing in Vientiane
Few households in Vientiane have installed treatment systems for their wastewater before it is discharged into drainage channels and collects in the city’s ponds and marshes. As it seems that many home owners in Vientiane don’t care about wastewater treatment or the quality of the water ...
Devastated farmers blame polluting factories for tons of dead fish on southern river
Officials are still awaiting test results but fish farmers believe that untreated waste discharged by factories along the Dong Nai River had killed a large number of fish in just one night. A total of 241 families in Dong Nai Province said they woke up on ...
Trash dumping threatens Yangon waterways
As the National League for Democracy embarks on a volunteer program to keep the country’s streets clean, experts said that Yangon’s water quality is at risk because people keep throwing garbage into rivers, creeks and ditches. Keep reading ...
Vietnam will face severe water shortage for treating rivers badly: experts
Vietnam is using its major rivers as dumping grounds or excavation sites, and this poses a risk of severe water shortage for tens of millions of people in the near future, experts warn. Members of Vietnam Rivers Network (VNR), the country’s largest advocacy group for water ...
Myanmar carries out litter collection drive
Myanmar’s National League for Democracy, which scored a stunning victory in November’s general election, carried out a litter collection drive over the weekend. Keep reading ...