New initiative to reduce chemical risks to environmental and human health

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and the UN Development Program (UNDP) launched a US$2.55 million initiative on April 14 to help better manage harmful chemicals and reduce their impacts on environmental and human health.  

The new project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is expected to provide technical support for the development of new regulations and technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of chemicals, especially POPs, PTS and mercury.

It will also help with the management of contaminated sites using the risk management and evaluation approaches that meet the requirements of the international conventions that Vietnam has joined.

A collection and disposal venue for hazardous chemicals. (Credit: VNA)

According to Bakhodir Burkhanov, UNDP Deputy Country Director, UNDP has been assisting Vietnam in implementation of the Stockholm Convention since 2005 through supporting the first National Implementation Plan process and a dedicated POP pesticides project. These interventions helped reduce the risks of exposure to thousands of people living around heavily contaminated areas.

“The project being launched today builds on our past support to address the issue of POP pesticide contamination in Vietnam. It will produce the tools to better manage POPs release in industrial production, help raise public awareness on harmful chemicals, and reduce their impact on the environment and human health,” said Burkhanov.

Over the past years, the chemical sector has developed fast and made significant contributions to socio-economic development in Vietnam. However, the country has experienced increased levels of pollution and industrial related accidents due to the lack of a comprehensive policy on environmentally sound chemical management, inadequate pollution preventive measures, and low awareness about safety procedures and chemical risks to environmental and human health.

As of 2010, Vietnam had more than 1,000 contaminated sites, of which almost 300 were obsolete POP pesticide stockpiles. With UNDP support, over 900 tonnes of POP pesticide have been recently destroyed and 3,000 m2 of contaminated soil contained in safe landfills. However, there remain many contaminated sites that have not been treated thoroughly.

Sound chemical management throughout the life-cycle from importation/exportation, production, usage, transportation, and storage to waste disposal and treatment is a global trend in reducing the release of harmful chemicals to environment.

In Vietnam, strengthening sound chemical management was identified as one of the important priorities of the Government.

“The implementation of the project – Vietnam POPs and Sound Harmful Chemicals Management Project (PHCM) – reflects the determination and action of the Government of Vietnam in protecting community health and the environment for sustainable development,” said Nguyen Van Tai, General Director of the Vietnam Environment Administration.

(Source: NDO)