LookAtVietnam – The authorities of export processing and industrial zones in 10 provinces of the key southern economic zone have asked the ministries of natural resources-environment and construction to build a common complex for treating hazardous industrial waste.

Bags of industrial waste discharged at a deserted area in Lang Le-Bau Co Village in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District.

According to the authorities of the most developed economic zones in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Long An, Tay Ninh, Tien Giang and HCMC, the treatment capacity in each province is still small.

The common place for hazardous-waste treatment will help prevent an environmental disaster, such as underground water pollution and dangers to people’s health, they said.

By March 31, the southern key economic zone had had some 120 industrial parks and export processing zones home to over 4,000 projects.

Ngo Anh Tuan, vice head of the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (Hepza), supported the idea of building the common complex, saying most of the representatives of the industrial zones authorities of the region had blamed enterprises on their little awareness of environmental pollution caused by toxic waste.

He said some enterprises at the export processing zones and industrial zones in the city still had large amounts of industrial waste untreated because the HCMC Urban Environment Company and others had been overwhelmed with the huge amount of waste emissions, nearly 500 tons a day.

VietNamNet/SGT