Booming Vietnamese economy desecrates environment

Over the last decade Vietnam’s economy has achieved an annual growth rate of seven percent.

The price of the economic boom, however, is a deteriorating environment with many waterways transformed into open sewers and landscapes strewn with toxic waste.

State-owned Vietnam News has reported that eight in ten factories and industrial parks in Vietnam exceed legal pollution levels.

A survey of over 400 businesses in the country found that most lacked even ‘basic awareness’ of environmental issues.

Government inspectors visited a total of 418 enterprises in 41 cities from across all sectors, including manufacturers, industrial parks, industrial zones, craft villages and ship breaking yards

Less than half had built waste water treatments, and only 19.5% had acceptable waste water facilities.

Inspectors fined 288 businesses and workshops, and asked local authorities to fine 130 more for breach of pollution control laws.

A recent report by the World Bank said that the businesses that cause the most damaging pollution and the ones that are key to economic growth.

The report added that effective pollution treatment in the country would cost $2.5 billion per year. Vietnam’s government can only afford $450 million, less than one fifth of what is needed.