05 contents of surface water protection in Vietnam

According to Article 7 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 of Vietnam, quality of surface water, sediments and aquatic environment must be monitored and evaluated; surface water carrying capacity must be calculated, determined and announced. Sources of waste discharged into surface water must be managed in a manner that is appropriate to the intended use and carrying capacity of surface water. Result of appraisal of the environmental impact assessment report shall not be approved for or environmental license shall not be issued to the new investment project that discharges wastewater directly into the surface water that has reached its carrying capacity as announced by a competent authority, except for the case in which the investment project owner has adopted a scheme to treat wastewater in accordance with technical regulation on environment regarding quality of surface water before discharging it into a water body or has adopted a circulation or recycling scheme in order not to generate more wastewater or the case where the project aims to deal with pollution and improve quality of the environment in a pollution area.

River water shall be protected by applying the principles of integrated river basin management and associated with biodiversity conservation, aquatic environment protection, management of water source protection corridors, and reasonable extraction and use of water. Surface water protection shall focus on:

- Statistically reporting, assessing, minimizing and treating wastewater discharged into surface water;

- Monitoring and assessing quality of surface water, sediment and aquatic environment and publishing information in service of management, extraction and use of water surface;

- Investigating and assessing carrying capacity of surface water; announcing areas where the surface water has reached its carrying capacity; assessing quotas for discharge of wastewater into the surface water;

- Eliminating pollution, remediating and improving polluted surface water;

- Monitoring and assessing quality of surface water and sediments of international rivers and sharing information in accordance with regulations of law on environmental protection, law and international practice.

View more details at the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 of Vietnam, effective from January 01, 2022.

Ty Na

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