Untreated wastewater causes severe pollution in Dong Nai River.

Mr Thoi emphasized that if a business is found to be dumping waste into the river, the agency must discover what waste has been discharged, what its drainage area is and then report to the committee immediately.

As a measure to protect the river, deputy chairwoman of Binh Duong Province, Tran Thi Kim Van, said that the province will not provide incentives that attract investment from textile and dying businesses, which cause severe pollution to the environment.

To make the role of the committee clear, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Nguyen, stressed that when a problem related to pollution arises in a certain province or city located on the river, it is the chairperson of the related province or city that must take responsibility to deal with it.

The committee is merely responsible for coordinating relevant authorities of 12 provinces and cities, which the Dong Nair River runs through, to ensure that the common plans to protect the river from pollution in an effective manner.

Mr Nguyen also revealed that at present there are five large international companies who wish to invest in exploiting natural gas in Dong Nai.

The Dong Nai River Basin Protection Committee was founded on February 1, 2008 based on a decision by the Prime Minster Nguyen Tan Dung.

It is tasked with carrying out projects to protect the basin of Dong Nai River system until 2020.

VNN/SGGP