What is environmental monitoring in Vietnam? Who must join in the environmental monitoring system according to current regulations?
- What is environmental monitoring in Vietnam?
- What are the objects subject to environmental monitoring in Vietnam?
- What does the environmental monitoring system include? Which organizations must join in the environmental monitoring system?
- What are the main contents of the comprehensive planning for national environmental monitoring in Vietnam?
What is environmental monitoring in Vietnam?
Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 25, Article 3 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection in Vietnam, “environmental monitoring” means the continuous, periodic or unscheduled monitoring of environmental components and factors impacting the environment, and waste in a systematic in order to provide necessary information in favor of assessment of state of the environment, changes in the environmental quality and adverse impacts on the environment.
Pursuant to the provisions of Article 106 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection in Vietnam as follows:
General regulations on environmental monitoring
1. Environmental monitoring also includes waste monitoring and is carried out on an automatic, continuous or periodic basis or at the request of a competent authority.
2. Investment projects, businesses, dedicated areas for production, business operation and service provision and industrial clusters that release waste into the environment must carry out monitoring as prescribed in Articles 111 and 112 of this Law and in accordance with environmental technical regulations.
3. Entities are encouraged to engage in environmental monitoring and provide information on environmental quality to the community as prescribed by law. Such entities shall take legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided.
4. Environmental monitoring must ensure and control quality and give accurate and reliable monitoring results.
5. Vehicles and equipment used for environmental monitoring must be verified and calibrated in accordance with regulations of law on measurement.
As specified above, environmental monitoring includes waste monitoring and environmental monitoring.
At the same time, it is carried out on an automatic, continuous or periodic basis or at the request of a competent authority.
What is environmental monitoring in Vietnam? Who must join in the environmental monitoring system according to current regulations?
What are the objects subject to environmental monitoring in Vietnam?
Pursuant to the provisions of Article 108 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection in Vietnam, the objects subject to environmental monitoring include:
Environmental components to be monitored include:
- Water, including surface water, groundwater and seawater;
- Ambient air;
- Soil and sediments;
- Biodiversity;
- Noise, vibration, radiation, light.
Waste sources, waste and pollutants to be monitored include:
- Wastewater and exhaust gases;
- Controlled industrial waste for identifying hazardous waste as prescribed by law;
- Radioactivity;
- Persistent pollutants that are released into and accumulate in the environment;
- Other pollutants.
What does the environmental monitoring system include? Which organizations must join in the environmental monitoring system?
Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 107 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection in Vietnam, the environmental monitoring system shall cover:
- National environmental monitoring, which is a network of background and impact environmental monitoring stations and locations serving the monitoring and providing information on background and impact environmental quality in inter-regional, inter-provincial and transboundary areas.
- Provincial environmental monitoring, which is a network of background and impact environmental monitoring stations and locations serving the monitoring and providing information on background and impact environmental quality in areas within a province.
- Environmental monitoring in service of field and sector management prescribed in Article 109 of this Law;
- Environmental monitoring for investment projects, in businesses, dedicated areas for production, business operation and service provision and industrial clusters;
- Biodiversity monitoring in wildlife sanctuaries.
Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 107 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection in Vietnam, organizations joining the environmental monitoring system include:
- Environmental monitoring authorities;
- Organizations in charge of on-site sampling and sample measurement;
- Environmental sample testing and analysis laboratories;
- Organizations verifying and calibrating environmental monitoring equipment;
- Organizations managing and processing environmental monitoring data and preparing environmental monitoring reports.
What are the main contents of the comprehensive planning for national environmental monitoring in Vietnam?
Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 107 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection in Vietnam, the main contents of the comprehensive planning for national environmental monitoring are as follows:
The comprehensive planning for national environmental monitoring is the technical and specialized planning containing the following main contents:
- Analyzing and assessing current state of the national environmental monitoring network; system of environmental testing and analysis laboratories and environmental monitoring data management system;
- Viewpoints, objectives and selected scheme for comprehensive planning for national environmental monitoring in conformity with environmental zoning, monitoring orientations and environmental warning in the environmental protection planning;
- National environmental monitoring network, including orientations for environmental component monitoring points, parameters and frequency nationwide and automatic monitoring stations; orientations for development of system of environmental testing and analysis laboratories and environmental monitoring data management system;
- List of national environmental monitoring projects;
- Orientations for connection of national environmental monitoring network, database and data with provincial environmental monitoring network and connection of environmental monitoring network;
- Roadmap and resources available for the implementation of the planning.
Nguyễn Thị Hồng Nhung