Can Tho (VNA) – A workshop is underway in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, discussing how to improve the ability to assess environmental impacts for developers of major development projects in the Mekong Delta.
The event is organised by the Southwest Steering Committee, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) for managers and staff at provincial departments of environment and natural resources in the region.
Head of the Southwest Steering Committee’s Economics Division Tran Huu Hiep said many major development projects in Vietnam have generated unexpected environmental issues alongside social impacts in recent years.
Meanwhile, state agencies have yet developed effective tools for monitoring and assessing the projects’ thorough development stage, he added.
The event provides a platform for attendees to share knowledge and discuss sustainable approaches to implement the development projects in the region, he noted.
Ha Thi Hong Hai, Project Officer of Research Programme at GreenID, added that the project, implemented from early 2016 to March 2017, will enable information exchange to improve decision-making process in energy-related projects.
It also aims to raise public awareness of costs as well as environmental and social benefits of development projects.
During the event, attendees deliberated regulations regarding assessment of environmental impacts and environment laws and shared related practices in Vietnam and the Mekong Delta.-VNA
