National environmental monitoring master planning for the period 2021–2030, with a vision towards 2050 in Vietnam

National environmental monitoring master planning for the period 2021–2030, with a vision towards 2050 in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On March 7, 2024, the Prime Minister issued Decision 224/QD-TTg approving the comprehensive national environmental monitoring planning for the period 2021–2030, with a vision towards 2050.

According to this planning, the objectives are as follows:

(1) General objectives:

To build a comprehensive and advanced national environmental monitoring system capable of monitoring important cross-regional and cross-provincial areas, transboundary regions, and areas with high levels of pollutants, as well as conducting biodiversity monitoring in nature reserves, biodiversity corridors, and areas with high biodiversity. Enhance connectivity with provincial-level environmental monitoring systems; ensure monitoring of environmental quality changes; meet requirements for providing, publishing, and disseminating environmental monitoring information and data, and enhance capacity for environmental warning and forecasting.

(2) Specific objectives:

* For the period 2021–2030:

- Regarding the air quality monitoring network:

+ Maintain 19 continuously operating automatic air quality monitoring stations; complete the investment and installation of 18 continuously operating automatic air quality monitoring stations currently being implemented at inherited monitoring locations from previous planning.

+ Continue to invest in and add new equipment to complete 31 continuously operating automatic air quality monitoring stations nationwide, including 06 automatic continuous air quality monitoring stations in 06 important economic and social development regions.

+ Establish and improve the network of periodic air quality monitoring points nationwide, focusing on economically and socially important regions with high pollutant emissions, ensuring assessment of the impact on air quality in industrial and densely populated areas.

+ Initially establish an automatic mercury monitoring network in the air.

- Regarding surface water quality monitoring network:

+ Establish and improve the network of automatic continuous surface water quality monitoring stations in inter-provincial rivers and lakes at headwater positions, transboundary regions, and border areas between provinces.

+ Build periodic surface water quality monitoring networks in the main streams of inter-provincial rivers and lakes that play important roles in economic and social development and environmental protection.

- Regarding estuarine and marine water quality monitoring:

+ Maintain and expand monitoring at estuaries and coastal areas according to previous planning.

+ Establish a network of marine water quality monitoring in Vietnam's sovereign, sovereign rights, and jurisdictional waters in accordance with Vietnamese laws.

- Regarding soil quality monitoring: develop monitoring programs that are open and suitable for soil environmental protection goals as stipulated by the Environmental Protection Law.

- Regarding groundwater monitoring network: implement monitoring in densely populated areas and areas that play important roles in economic and social development and environmental protection.

- Regarding acid rain monitoring network: establish a monitoring network based on the existing infrastructure and equipment from current monitoring stations.

- Regarding biodiversity monitoring network: prioritize the implementation of monitoring in internationally recognized nature reserves, aiming to implement comprehensive monitoring in all nature reserves nationwide according to the roadmap and biodiversity monitoring guidelines.

- Invest in and upgrade existing environmental quality monitoring laboratories and stations; complete investment and construction of laboratories at the Southeast Environmental Monitoring Station.

- Design and develop a national environmental monitoring information system and database, integrating all environmental quality monitoring data into a unified system nationwide, implementing data sharing, and publicizing the environmental quality information of all environmental quality monitoring points managed by central and local authorities. Establish coordination mechanisms and information sharing between monitoring networks/programs; focus on modernizing and enhancing the capacity of environmental data processing centers; implement digital transformation models to ensure synchronized, systematic, and highly reliable information. Initial development of environmental warning and progress towards environmental quality forecasting in some major cities.

* Vision towards 2050:

- Enhance investment and expand the network of automatic continuous air quality and water quality monitoring stations, applying new monitoring technologies to gradually replace periodic air quality and surface water quality monitoring points with automatic continuous air quality and water quality monitoring stations.

- Implement biodiversity monitoring in established biodiversity corridors and high biodiversity areas.

- Research and apply modern technologies, information processing models that utilize artificial intelligence, and comprehensively implement digital transformation models in managing and analyzing environmental monitoring data to support environmental quality forecasting activities.

- Strengthen socialization in the implementation of planning, establish priority mechanisms, and encourage organizations and individuals to invest in automatic continuous environmental quality monitoring stations and participate in periodic environmental monitoring programs in order to utilize the resources and infrastructure of non-state entities.

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