Vietnam Provincial Environmental Governance

Results achieved as of end of the project (June 2013) include: (1) national standards for noise pollution and for vibration and shock pollution were developed; (2) Eight five-year provincial industrial management plans were established with four of them having become operational and using state budgets allocated from the annual environmental expenditures (EE) of provinces; (3) 75 Asian Institute of Technology-certified provincial-level Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) staff were trained to design and deliver training on Industrial Pollution Management (IPM) to stakeholders in both the public and private sectors; (4) 6 455 stakeholders in DONRE and line departments received training on IPM; (5) DONRE staff in each of the eight targeted provinces have more sophisticated techniques for IPM management including monitoring pollution discharge and calculating pollution loads as well as calculating pollution concentration (essential in Vietnam where for example 70 per cent of the wastewater generated is not treated); (6) national and provincial environmental monitoring capacities have significantly improved with seven out of eight labs supported by the project certified at ISO 17025 levels a global standard for the competence of testing laboratories and four DONREs able to perform stack air emission monitoring; (7) 363 cleaner production options were presented to 15 different industries and helped to save medium-sized private sector firms an estimated US$ 1.5 million as a result of reduced material water energy and chemical consumption; (8) IPM policy was integrated into environmental regulations; (9) technical input was provided to the revision of the 2005 Law on Environmental Protection and a decree concerning wastewater fees and the development of a new National Strategy on Environmental Protection. These results are contributing to improving the ability of Vietnamese public and private institutions to effectively manage industrial pollu