THE PRIME MINISTER

Article 1.- To approve the state plan on environmental pollution control till 2010 (hereinafter called the Plan) with the following major contents:

1. Objectives:

a/ To strive to complete the survey, statistics, treatment and management of 70% of waste sources, waste types and general waste volume nationwide; to strive to collect, transport and treat 90% of the total solid waste volume arising in urban centers and industrial zones; to treat 100% of hazardous medical solid waste and over 60% of hazardous industrial waste with appropriate technologies.

b/ To basically control the environmental pollution in a number of domains where pollution often occurs such as the chemical industry; textile, dying, leather, paper, food processing industries, mineral exploitation and processing; health service; communications and transport; areas still affected by toxic chemicals used by the US during the war and plant protection drug residues. To control the environmental pollution in hot spots and sensitive zones and prevent the spread thereof.

c/ To further enhance the capacity to control environmental pollution and treatment of wastes, particularly wastes in key economic zones, urban centers, industrial zones, craft villages and river basins.

d/ To institutionalize and enforce efficiently the treaties related to the control of environmental pollution in Vietnam, which Vietnam has signed or acceded to.

2. Guiding principles:

a/ Environmental pollution control must be carried out in a regular, continual and timely manner, focusing on key points and areas; suit the capacity and conditions and meet the basic requirements of each branch, each locality and the nation in each period.

b/ Environmental pollution control must take prevention as a guiding principle, pollution redress and environment quality improvement as focus, science and technology as important instruments and environmental standards as bases.

c/ Environmental pollution control is the responsibility of the entire society, all authorities, branches, localities, organizations and individuals. The state encourages the socialization of collection, transport, treatment and management of wastes.

3. Tasks:

a/ To further supplement, amend and perfect the systems of normative documents, mechanisms and policies in the domain of environmental pollution control such as the policies on encouragement of activities to minimize environmental pollution, to collect, transport, treat, recycle, reuse wastes and environmental rehabilitation; the mechanisms of publicization of information on environmental pollution to population communities and treatment of pollution for population communities; the policies on collection of taxes and charges related to assorted wastes; to compel establishments to observe by themselves and periodically report on results of environmental observation to competent bodies; to formulate and promulgate branch standards, national standards on wastes, standards on waste discharge into the environment; technical instructions on environmental pollution control.

b/ To strictly apply regulations on making reports on assessment of environmental impacts on development investment plannings, plans, programs, projects or on registration of environmental standards to all production and service establishments using natural resources or generating waste sources; to enhance the post-inspection work such as inspection, examination and supervision of the realization of contents of reports on assessment of environmental impacts after they are approved and the investment projects are deployed.

c/ To organize surveys and statistics of waste sources, waste types and waste volumes of the whole country, of each branch, each locality, focusing on waste sources and hazardous wastes. On that basis, to effect the mechanism of managing wastes at their sources and work out specific plans to limit, minimize and treat wastes.

d/ To build a national database on waste sources, waste types and waste volumes; to widely supply information on environmental pollution and treatment of pollution for population communities; to promulgate appropriate mechanisms to encourage and boost the active participation of mass organizations, population communities and every people in activities of environmental pollution control.

e/ To build, consolidate and perfect systems of observation centers, stations and posts under the overall planning on national environmental observation system, giving priority, first of all, to investment in the construction of observation centers, stations, posts in key economic regions of the country. To well connect information in the national environmental observation system.

f/ To plan and formulate the systems of technical infrastructure for waste collection and treatment, to prioritize the construction and operation of hazardous waste treatment centers, entrepots, pre-treatment and recycle of solid wastes; to collect and treat waste water in urban centers and industrial zones.

g/ To control cross-border environmental pollution, focusing on observation and control of environmental pollution in cross-border rivers, sea pollution; to intensify control and prevention of introduction of wastes, particularly hazardous wastes and obsolete technologies from foreign countries into Vietnam.

h/ To efficiently enforce the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) and other treaties on environmental pollution control to which Vietnam has signed or acceded.

i/ To approve in principle 19 priority contents, programs, schemes, projects... in order to implement the Plan (detailed appendix is enclosed with this Decision).

4. Solutions:

a/ To step up scientific research, transfer and application of technical advances, new technologies, cleaner and environment-friendly production technologies to production as well as to environmental pollution control and treatment. To formulate and develop the environmental industry, environmental economic branch; to create favorable markets to promote enterprises of all economic sectors to invest in environmental protection activities and services.

b/ To step up the professional and managerial personnel training in the field of environmental pollution control and treatment.

c/ To perfect mechanisms and policies to encourage and promote the socialization of waste collection, transportation and treatment.

d/ To increase investment from state budget, particularly ODA capital, and at the same time to diversify investment resources for successful implementation of the Plan.

e/ To intensify the work of propagation and education to raise the awareness of environmental pollution control; to bring into play the role and responsibility of local administrations, social organizations and every people for participation in environmental pollution control in localities.

f/ To expand and raise the efficiency of international cooperation on environmental pollution control and treatment.

Article 2.- Organization of implementation of the Plan

1. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall act as the key body of the Government, having the tasks to assist the Prime Minister in organizing the implementation of this Plan; regularly urge, monitor and inspect the implementation of the contents of this Plan in relevant ministries, branches and localities; annually sum up implementation results and report them to the Prime Minister.

2. Ministries, branches and localities have the tasks to work out and implement their plans on environmental pollution control within their respective management scope as well as the contents assigned in the Appendix to this Decision.

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Finance Ministry have the tasks to balance and arrange state budget capital in the annual and long-term plans for efficient realization of the contents, programs, schemes, projects... of the Plan.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees, and relevant organizations and individuals shall have to implement this Decision