On 30 June 2010, PCDA CSC had a meeting on the interim report of the implementation progress and disbursement of the first half-year 2010; and on the approval of the Work Plan and Budget Plan for the last half-year, of the amended Work Plan and Budget Plan for 2010 and Budget Plan for 2011.

From 21-25 June 2010, PCDA and CDS Components jointly organized a training course on “General Environment Management in Industrial parks, Urban and Coastal Areas”, in Quy Nhon province for environment officers from ministries and provincial DONREs.

On June 1^st 2010, MONRE organized the launching of the State of Environment Report 2009 (SOE Report).  There were the presence of Danish Embassy representative, National Assembly Office, Government Office, Minister of MONRE – Mr. Pham Khoi Nguyen, Vice-minister Nguyen Thai Lai,  Head of Vietnam Environment Agency Bui Cach Tuyen and delegates from line agencies, DONREs, institutions, social – politic organizations, the press and international organizations in Vietnam.

The SOE report focused on the main topics:

The role of industrial zones (IZs) in eco-socio development, the assessment of development trends, challenges and opportunities;

The state of IZs including problems of waste water, exhaust fumes and solid waste;

Analysis and evaluation and typical proof of damages caused by IZs in particular to the public health, eco-socio development.

Particularly, the SOE Report also evaluates the management and environment protection in IZs during recent years, the successful lessons as well as difficulties. Based on the report, the solutions will be made to improve the environment of IZs. The SOE Report is a necessary document for leaders, managers, policy-makers, scientists and anyone interested in environmental protection in Vietnam.

On May 6^th 2010, DONRE hosted a meeting to gather comments on the eco-technical report of project ‘Cu Lao Cham solid waste management system’ with the attendance of PCDA Management Board, Danish Embassy’s Environment Officer, Quang Nam PPC, DONRE, Hoi An City’s PC, Tan Hiep Ward’s PC, and line agencies. All parties contributed their opinion, questioning consultants to clarify uncertain points and to finalize the eco-technical report before submitting to the PPC for approval in May. On the same day, the management board worked with PPC and DONRE on the progress of ‘Waste water treatment for Truong Xuan Industrial Zone and slaughter’ and the handing over of project ‘Monitoring model development and analysis of dioxin-tainted land due to chemicals used in the war in Quang Nam’. On May 7^th 2010, the group and the environment officer of Danish Embassy worked with Tan Hiep Ward’s leaders and the demo-project management board and visited Eo Gio – the new site for building landfill in Cu Lao Cham.

On April 28^th 2010, the working group of PCDA worked with Environment Protection Section and the management board of demo-projects in Thai Nguyen. The parties discussed and exchanged information on the implementing works and the progress of building the waste water treatment system for Khanh Hoa coal mine project. PCDA will support the dust treatment and the coal company will invest in the waste water treatment system. The working group worked and the management board visited and discussed with non-ferrous metal company on the project ‘Environment improvement of Dai Tu tin factory area’; discussed with leaders of Song Cong Town on ‘Environment improvement and closing the temporary dumping in Tao Mount.’

The quality of water in the Sai Gon and Dong Nai rivers is deteriorating rapidly, and protective measures have been too slow, officials have said.

Vo Quang Chau, deputy general director of the Sai Gon Water Corporation (SAWACO), said that tests carried out in the two rivers this month found they failed all the five water quality criteria applied.

The results underscored the rising pollution levels in both rivers, especially in the Sai Gon River basin, he said.

The level of amonia was 28 times higher than the permitted standard while Chemical Oxygen Demands (COD), an indicator of organic pollutant in water, and bacteria levels exceeded permitted standards by 1.2-1.4 and 2-4 times, respectively, Chau said at a meeting held by the city's People's Committee on Thursday.

Salt water intrusion into the two rivers had also worsened, he said.

More than half of the river routes and urban canals linked to the two rivers with a combined length of 3,000km was polluted, and this had worsened the quality of water resources, an official of the HCM City Steering Centre of the Urban Flood Control Programme said at the meeting.

Discussing the main reasons for water pollution, a representative of the city's Environmental Police division said many enterprises were discharging untreated effluents directly into the rivers through underground pipelines, making it difficult for the police to uncover the violation.

The overlapping of responsibilities in the management of canals and rivers among different departments and agencies, a long-lasting problem, had also contributed to worsening environmental degradation, the meeting heard.

For example, the management of canals was shared by the city's departments of Transport, Natural Resources and Environment as well as Agriculture and Rural Development, participants noted.

More than 100 delegates from ASEAN countries and their six dialogue partners are gathering in Hanoi for the 21st ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN) conference which opened on August 4.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) on August 4 began inspecting nineteen golf courses in Hanoi in order to find violations of environmental regulations.