Ha Long Bay (Photo: VNA) QuangNinh (VNA) – Experts on July 30 discussed environmental pollutionduring a question-and-answer session of the Quang Ninh People’s Council takingplace near the UNESCO world heritage site of Ha Long Bay.
There are two cement plants very close to the bay in Hoanh Bo district – theThang Long Cement Joint Stock Company plant with capacity of 2.3 million tonnesper year and the Ha Long Cement Joint Stock Company plant with an annualcapacity of 2 million tonnes.
The dust and fume exhaust treatment systems of the plants meet currentenvironmental regulations, but the dust they discharge has still worsenedpollution in the protected area.
Provincial authorities fined the plants in 2011 and 2018 55 million VND and 290million VND (2,375-12,500 USD), respectively.
Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee CaoTuong Huy proposed the Ministry of Transport report the case to Prime MinisterNguyen Xuan Phuc and exclude the two plants from the national cementdevelopment plan for the coming years.
In 2014, the Quang Ninh People’s Council decided not to build any new thermalpower plants or cement plants within a radius of 15km around the heritage area.
On September 8, 2016, the provincial People’s Committee sent a proposal to theMinistry of Construction to stop increasing the capacity of present plants andmove planned plants further away. Both moves were designed to protect thenatural landscapes of the UNESCO site.
Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Council Nguyen Xuan Ky said that by 2030,all of the cement plants would be moved to more suitable places. Their currentlocations would be used to develop urban areas or environmentally friendlyplants.
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung recently signed Decision 702/QĐ-TTG toapprove the plan for the city of Ha Long's development. The decision sets out avision lasting until 2050.
Under the decision, it will be developed into a modern and friendly coastaltourism city. It must have modern infrastructures and conserve the worldheritage site.
Ky instructed concerned organisations to protect the environment around theheritage area and asked them to send proposals to the State and the Governmentto create good conditions for the province to meet its green developmenttargets.
Earlier in April this year, the International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN) held a workshop in Quang Ninh to seek technologyand management solutions for wastewater treatment from tour boats and tourismactivities in Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago.
The workshop was part of the Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba AllianceInitiative, funded by the US Agency for International Cooperation (USAID).
According to deputy head of the Ha Long BayManagement Board Nguyen Huyen Anh, as of late 2018, there were around 500 shipsoperating in Ha Long Bay, including over 160 overnight ships, and 121 vesselsoperating around the Cat Ba archipelago, including 59 overnight boats.
In recent times, local authorities have madestrides to tighten management over wastewater from tourism boats andactivities. However, this kind of pollution remains a huge challenge for QuangNinh and Hai Phong city, he said.
Jake Brunner, IUCN Chief Representative inVietnam, said the IUCN sent an advisory mission to Ha Long Bay to supportsustainable tourism management and environmental protection at Ha Long Bay andCat Ba archipelago in July last year.
The advisory mission had expressed their concernover the projected growth of visitors to the site and concluded thatineffective management of visitors and waste will cause a significant threat tothe outstanding universal value of the area, Brunner added.
Ha Long Bay literally “descending dragon bay” isa must-see destination in Quang Ninh. It was twice recognised as a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site in 1994 and 2000.
The bay spans 1,553 square kilometres andincludes 1,969 islands of various sizes. It features thousands of limestonekarsts and islets in various shapes and sizes. The limestone in the bay hasgone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions andenvironments. The geo-diversity of the environment has created biodiversity,including a tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea biosystem. Ha LongBay is home to 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species.
Thisyear, Ha Long Bay has been listed among theworld’s most beautiful sunrise spots in 2019 by the Microsoft Network (MSN). Itwas also labelled as one of the most mentioned global cruise destinations onInstagram by British magazine Woman and Home; among the 25 most beautifulplaces around the world by the US’s Cable News Network (CNN), and among themost popular attractions in Asia according to the Hong Kong-based South ChinaMorning Post (SCMP).-VNA
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