The meeting between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Transport took place on the afternoon of October 1.
Yesterday afternoon (October 1), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment had a meeting with the Ministry of Transport on commenting on completing the draft Decree on management of dredging activities in seaport waters and waters. inland waterways.
The two ministries have basically agreed with the draft decree, but there are still some opinions that need to be discussed in order to reach consensus regarding regulations on environmental work of dredging activities in seaport waters and waterways. Inland waterways, especially the content of environmental impact assessment for these projects.
The draft proposes that for basic dredging projects in seaport waters and inland waterways, procedures for environmental impact assessment (EIA) must be carried out in accordance with the law. environmental protection, law on natural resources and environment of sea and islands.
For dredging and maintenance work, only measures to prevent, minimize negative impacts, respond to risks and incidents of works and implement environmental management and monitoring programs according to reports. Pre-approved EIA or environmental protection plan.
In case of adding the dredging site, the EIA report or environmental protection plan must be made with the additional dredging site. In which, cases where the EIA report or environmental protection plan must be re-made include: change of the dredging site; adding investment items or changing the dredging area or volume of a size equivalent to those subject to EIA in accordance with the Government’s regulations on environmental protection planning and environmental assessment. EIA strategy and assessment and environmental protection plan.
To solve the above problem, the representative of the Department of Environmental Impact Assessment (Vietnam Environment Administration) said that the Ministry of Transport can prepare EIAs for a period of about 5 years for dredging projects. regularly. The volume of dredging can be adjusted annually in accordance with the actual conditions and allocated funding. During the project implementation, the investor should report and commit that there is no environmental pollutant in the dredged material.
Mr. Tran Quy Kien – Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment affirmed that the environmental impact assessment for dredging projects will be basically carried out normally. Particularly for projects in the form of regular dredging, the dredged materials may contain waste causing environmental pollution, so it is still necessary to assess the environmental impact for strict management.
It is therefore possible to develop an environmental impact assessment over a 5-year period for these regular dredging projects. This ensures both the legal provisions on environmental protection, and also guarantees the time for dredging projects. During the implementation period, the annual volume may vary according to a suitable amplitude and take into account the effects of weather, climate, and other factors. Every year, the project implementation unit must commit that the dredged materials do not contain waste causing environmental pollution and strictly comply with the committed treatment plan.
Agreeing with the above plan, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong assigned specialized units of this Ministry to coordinate with units of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to receive the opinions of the two sides to correct revise and complete the draft decree for submission to the Government for approval.
