What is environmental monitoring? Objects subject to environmental monitoring in Vietnam

What is environmental monitoring? Objects subject to environmental monitoring in Vietnam (Internet image)

1. What is environmental monitoring?

According to Clause 25, Article 3 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, 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.

2. Objects subject to environmental monitoring in Vietnam

Objects subject to environmental monitoring as prescribed in Article 108 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, 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.

3. Environmental monitoring system in Vietnam

Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 107 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, 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.

4. Responsibility for environmental monitoring in Vietnam

Responsibility for environmental monitoring are specified in Article 109 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 as follows:

- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall:

+ Direct, provide guidance on and inspect environmental monitoring nationwide; organize the execution of the national environmental monitoring programs including environmental monitoring programs for inter-provincial rivers and lakes, sea, key economic regions, inter-regional, inter-provincial and transboundary areas and environment in geographically distinct zones; carry out biodiversity monitoring in wildlife sanctuaries;

+ Formulate, appraise and submit to the Prime Minister the comprehensive planning for national environmental monitoring for approval in accordance with regulations of law on planning;

+ Provide technical guidance on building national and provincial environmental monitoring systems; biodiversity monitoring.

- The Ministry of Science and Technology shall organize the execution of radioactivity monitoring programs including programs for monitoring radioactive components in the environment.

- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall organize the execution of environmental monitoring programs serving agricultural management including water, soil and sediment monitoring programs serving the purposes of irrigation, fishing, aquaculture, agriculture, forestry and salt production.

- The Ministry of Health shall organize the execution of occupational environment monitoring programs in the workplace.

- The Ministry of National Defense shall participate in offshore water monitoring and transboundary environmental monitoring.

- Provincial People’s Committees shall organize the execution of environmental monitoring programs within their provinces, submit annual environmental monitoring reports to provincial People's Councils and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Van Trong

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