Many environmental regulation infringements strictly fined in first half

Any individual or organization who violates Việt Nam’s  legal regulations on environment will be deserved hard penalties – Illustration photo

Well over 1,034 organizations and 2,096 individuals who violated the environmental stipulations have been given administrative penalties of totally VND 17 billion. Some 72 cases concerning 101 persons were proposed for prosecution.

The infringement turned out to be increasingly complicated in some key industries. Many enterprises in industrial parks and production facilities still used secret underground pipelines to discharge untreated sewage into the environment, like Taiwan-based Aluminum Tung Kuang.

Moreover, the import of waste materials, disguised under the form of inputs for production or re-export, continued to take place in some localities like Hải Phòng, Quảng Ninh, and Hồ Chí Minh City.

Noticeable, some enterprises were tricky in declaring customs procedures or even colluded with some customs officers to slip banned waste in Việt Nam, the Department said.

The report also shows that environmental pollution could be seen in small and medium-sized hydro-power plants when contractors deforested and exploited rock for site clearance in a careless manner.

Deforestation, with sophisticated artifices, continued in protective forests and nature reserves.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Phạm Khôi Nguyên recently said that the Government has adopted a comprehensive legal framework on environment protection and all violators will be deserved hard penalties.

By Hải Minh