Vietnam: Responsibilities of provincial-level People’s Committees in surface water protection activities

According to the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 of Vietnam, People’s Committees have the responsibility to:

- determine provincial rivers and lakes and other surface water sources in areas that play important role in socio-economic development and environmental protection; determine domestic water safeguard zones and water source protection corridors within provinces; determine aquatic areas;

- publish information about sources of waste discharged into the surface water within provinces; collect information and data on state of surface water, waste sources and total amount of waste discharged into surface water in inter-provincial rivers and lakes within provinces under the guidance of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam; direct organizations to assess damage caused by pollution and remediate surface water pollution within provinces as prescribed;

- prevent and control sources of waste discharged into surface water sources within provinces; take measures to prevent and minimize surface water pollution, improve surface water quality within provinces according to the surface water quality management plan;

- organize assessment of surface water and sediment quality, carrying capacity and quotas for discharge of wastewater with respect to the surface water sources mentioned in Point a of this Clause; publish information about areas where surface water has reached its carrying capacity;

- promulgate and organize the implementation of the plan for management of quality of surface water mentioned in Point a of this Clause; organize implementation of the surface water quality management plan for inter-provincial rivers and lakes within provinces.

Besides, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam has the responsibility to:

- provide guidance on assessing surface water carrying capacity of rivers and lakes; provide guidance on assessing surface water quality;

- organize assessment of surface water and sediment quality, surface water carrying capacity of inter-provincial rivers and lakes; organize inventorying and assessment of waste sources and pollution level, and organize elimination of inter-provincial river and lake pollution; formulate and submit to the Government a surface water quality management plan for inter-provincial rivers and lakes that play a key role in socio-economic development and environmental protection;

- inspect the implementation of the surface water quality management plan for inter-provincial rivers and lakes and measures to prevent and mitigate water pollution and improve water quality in inter-provincial rivers and lakes.

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

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