Environmental fees to be levied on mining activities

The Government has issued a decree that stipulates that environmental fees will be levied on mining activities from January 1. 

According to the regulation, an environmental fee of VND40,000-VND60,000 (USD1.9-USD2.8) per tonne will be imposed on iron ore exploitation operations. The mining of materials for tile production and fine art stones will have to pay an environmental fee of from VND50,000-VND70,000 (USD2.4-USD3.3) per cubic metre. 

Fees of between VND500 and VND3,000 per tonne will be levied on exploitation of ordinary stone used in construction and VND3,000-VND5,000 per cubic metre of sand. Crude oil exploitation activities must also pay a fee of VND100,000 (USD4.8) per tonne. 

Coal gasification will be charged VND50 per cubic metre, and exploitation of natural gas, VND35 per cubic metre. Authorities in localities nationwide will be given the power to define and adjust the level of environmental fees for particular types of minerals. The fees will be added to local budgets to foster environmental protection policies.

By P. Thanh | dtinews.vn

HCMC to spend US$240 million in water system

From now until 2015, Ho Chi Minh City plans to deploy seven projects worth a total US$240 million to upgrade and expand its water supply network, cut water loss, and treat sludge at water factories. 

Saigon Water Supply Corporation, or Sawaco, is currently providing approximately 1.6 million cubic meters of water for 85 percent of the city’s population every day via its water supply pipelines which stretch a total 4,500km. 

However, the quantity of water loss remains high, at up to 38 percent because of outdated pipelines and water supply system which is not in sync with the source and the network. Head of Sawaco’s department for development cooperation Ha Thanh Trung said at a conference on human resources development for the water industry on Tuesday that in the next five years, Sawaco would seek to reduce water loss by one to two percentage points each year. 

Besides, Sawaco would also team up with the consortium Manila – Ree – Mitsubishi to survey and carry out the method for reducing water loss for four major areas encompassing 14 districts of the city. Sawaco is also doing research on optimal solutions to exploit water resources from Dau Tieng and Tri An lakes in order to modify as well as replace current water supply sources from the Saigon and Dong Nai rivers which are being threatened by pollution. Sawaco sets the target to raise its water supply capacity to 3.4 million cubic meters a day in 2025 to bring tap water to all residents in the city. 

Source; TBKTSG

Germany helps protect forest in Vietnam, Laos

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety has provided €7 million for a project to protect the forest in Vietnam’s Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces and Lao National garden. 

The four-year “Annamites Carbon Sinks and Biodiversity” (CarBi) project, which is part of an international climate protection initiative, is aimed at preventing forest degradation and boosting sustainable forest management.It will be carried out by the German-based KfW banking group and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 

The project covers a total area of 200,000 hectares in the border area between the southern region of Laos and Vietnam’s Central region, which is the home to endangered animals such as Indo-China tigers and Sao La. Nils Meyer, KfW project manager said the project marks a milestone in the Germany-Vietnam efforts to prevent biodiversity degradation all over the world. With the sponsorship of such a project, Germany is contributing to protecting the climate and endangered animals in Vietnam and Laos.

Vietnam halts imports of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride

Vietnam's health ministry has banned the import of Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride – which is used to produce popular flu and allergy remedies – because drug dealers have been using it to make the illegal methamphetamine. 

The decision was made after the ministry found a dramatic increase in the imports of Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride into Vietnam by a number of pharmaceutical companies between late 2010 and August 2011. The ministry said it will establish an inspection team to inspect companies involved in the production, sale and distribution of drugs using Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride as an active ingredient. 

The DAV has been asked to conduct a survey on the practical use of the drug at medical clinics nationwide in order to control the import of Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. Deputy Minister of Health Cao Minh Quang said the ministry will work with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to detect the illicit purchase and manufacture of methamphetamine. 

Pseudoephedrine is used as a nasal/sinus decongestant and stimulant, or as a wakefulness-promoting agent. The salt pseudoephedrine hydrochloride is found in many over-the-counter preparations either as a single ingredient or, more commonly, in combination with other drugs. The similarity in chemical structure to amphetamine (a psychostimulant drug) has made pseudoephedrine a sought-after chemical precursor in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine (commonly referred to as "crystal meth", "meth" or "ice") and methcathinone. 

On July 14, Vietnamese narcotics police raided a house in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, where a local couple produce methamphetamine from Tiffy tablets, known to treat coughs and colds. The police seized more than 90 kilograms of loose Tiffy tablets, nine whole packages and other equipment used for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Last year, Ho Chi Minh City police arrested two Vietnamese Australian men who bought around 20,000 packs of Actifed Cold and Allergy in Vietnam in 2007, and later ground the tablets into powder and sent the drugs to Australia. 

By Lien Chau, Thanh Nien News

New bird flu virus mutation threatens Vietnam

Experts urge better detection and poultry production practices in response to a new mutant strain of H5N1 appearing in the northern and central parts of the country. 

More hygienic practices have been urged for poultry farmers, traders and slaughterers in Vietnam after the United Nations warned against a mutant strain of the deadly bird flu virus in Asia. 

“Control measures must focus on reducing the transmission of the virus – both to other poultry and to man. These changes must be made on the farm, by traders and at markets/slaughterhouses level, but must be promoted by government,” said John Weaver, Chief Technical Adviser of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Vietnam. 

Cooked chicken are displayed for sale on a street in Hanoi. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned against a new strain of H5N1 virus in Asia that is resistant to all available vaccines.

“Key transmission pathways for this virus are bird to bird spread, and through contaminated materials and equipment such as manure, feathers, vehicles and clothing,” he told Thanh Nien Weekly. The warning came after the FAO announced on Monday (August 29) a possible major resurgence of the H5N1 (highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu virus), amid signs that a mutant strain of the deadly bird flu virus is spreading in Asia and beyond. The H5N1 virus has infected 565 people since it first appeared in 2003, killing 331 of them, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) figures. 

'Community forest' effective tool for sustainable forest management

With the success of the pilot project on allocating land and forests to the community for management, experts believe that the “community forest” is really the good mechanism for sustainable forest management. 

Bac Kan Province proves to be one of the first localities applying the model on a trial basis, which has been allocating land and forests to local residents for management for the last few years. Under the mechanism, local authorities assign the task of managing and protecting the land and forests to local residents and pay for the management.