Hanoi (VNA) – Only 42.4 percent of communes nationwide fulfilled the criterion on environment in the new-style rural area building during 2011-2015, according to the Central Steering Committee for the National Target Programme on New-style Rural Areas.
According to the Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA), almost all production and business facilities, especially those at small and household scales in rural areas have yet to strictly follow regulations on environmental protection.
Several trade villages have not implemented measures to gather and handle waste or completed procedures on the environment.
Many localities do not pay attention to investment in infrastructure to treat waste water from daily and production activities.
To complete the criterion, the VEA suggested providing specific guidance on the environment-related criterion for communes and districts, and keeping a close watch on the implantation of this criterion by state management offices on environment in localities.
It is also necessary to intensify inspections on the environment in communes and districts which were recognised as new-style rural areas in order to maintain the achieved results.
The national target programme on new-style rural areas was initiated by the Government in 2010, which sets 19 criteria on building infrastructure, improving production capacity, constructing public works, protecting the landscape and environment, and promoting local traditions and cultural identities, among others.
As of March 2016, 1,761 communes or 19.7 percent of all communes across Vietnam had obtained the new-style rural area status.-VNA
