Decision No. 137/2008/QD-TTg On approving the overall environmental protection plan for Phu Quoc Island until 2010 and orientations until 2020

Pursuant to …;

REGARDING THE APPROVAL OF THE "OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PLAN FOR PHU QUOC ISLAND UNTIL 2010 AND GUIDELINES UNTIL 2020"

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;
Pursuant to the Environmental Protection Law dated November 29, 2005;
Pursuant to Decision No. 178/2004/QĐ-TTg dated October 5, 2004 of the Prime Minister approving the "Comprehensive Development Plan for Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province until 2010 and Vision until 2020";
Considering the proposal of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province,

DECISION:

Article 1.Approves the "Overall Environmental Protection Plan for Phu Quoc Island until 2010 and Guidelines until 2020" (hereinafter referred to as the Plan) with the following main contents:

I. GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

1. Environmental protection on Phu Quoc Island (hereinafter referred to as the Island) shall be carried out based on the principles of sustainable development, integrated management across sectors, and combining state management with enhancing awareness, responsibility, and community participation.

2. The contents, tasks, and requirements of environmental protection in the Plan must be closely integrated and harmonized with the planning, plans, and projects for economic and social development of the Island.

3. Environmental protection work on the Island must be conducted and implemented continuously and over the long term, based on the principle of prevention as the primary approach, combined with pollution control, remediation of degradation, and emphasis on applying advanced scientific and technological achievements in environmental protection.

4. Minimize to the lowest extent possible the harmful impacts of economic and social development activities on the natural environment of the Island; do not reduce forest area, water quality, air quality, and coastal seawater quality. Production in industry, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and services on the Island must ensure clean production that is environmentally friendly, causing minimal or no pollution. All waste from production, business, service provision, and daily life must be treated to meet national technical environmental standards before being discharged into the surrounding environment.

5. Socialize environmental protection work in the island district, fully mobilizing resources from all levels, sectors, mass organizations, associations, enterprises, communities, residents, and the entire society; combine internal capacity enhancement with strengthened international cooperation.

II. OBJECTIVES:

A. GENERAL OBJECTIVES:

Conserve and protect the components of the environment and the natural landscape of Phu Quoc Island, serving sustainable economic and social development, contributing to building the Island into a major modern international tourism and trading center in the Mekong Delta region, and gradually forming a regional and international tourism and trading center.

B. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES FOR EACH STAGE:

1. Stage 2008 - 2010:

a) Strengthening capacity, institutional framework, and policies:

- Specialized planning for environmental protection on the Island such as wastewater treatment system planning, solid waste management planning, biodiversity conservation planning, environmental monitoring network planning will be developed, reviewed, approved, and implemented;

- New planning, plans, and projects for economic and social development of the Island must integrate tightly and harmoniously the issue of environmental protection, ensuring the principle of sustainable development of the island district when they are established, reviewed, approved, and implemented or adjusted;

- The environmental technical standards and regulations of the Island will be issued comprehensively in a stricter manner than the national environmental technical standards and regulations.

b) Limiting the degree of increased pollution:

- 100% of priority and key model projects on environmental protection will be established, reviewed, approved, and allocated sufficient funds for implementation and achievement of effectiveness and timely progress;

- 100% of investment projects for development must undergo environmental impact assessments and establish environmental protection commitments as prescribed by law;

- 100% of new production facilities must apply clean technology that is environmentally friendly or be equipped with pollution reduction devices and waste treatment systems meeting environmental standards;

- 70% of households in urban areas and residential zones; 100% of businesses have source waste sorting equipment; 100% public areas have waste bins;

- 100% of production and business establishments exporting products must implement environmental management systems according to ISO 14001 standards;

- The proportion of clean energy usage (hydroelectricity, wind, solar, bioenergy, etc.) reaches 10% to 20% of total annual energy consumption on the entire island.

c) Improving environmental quality:

- The Duong Dong River flowing through Duong Dong Town will be improved and pollution remediated;

- 100% of residents will be provided with and use clean water;

- Activities harming the National Park and Marine Protected Area of Phu Quoc will be prevented;

- A solid waste treatment plant with a capacity of 200 tons/day meeting environmental standards will be constructed and put into operation.

2. Stage 2011 - 2020:

a) Strengthening capacity, institutional framework, and policies:

- Issuing specific documents to concretize special legal provisions on environmental protection applicable to Phu Quoc Island District;

- Investing in upgrading technical infrastructure; strengthening specialized and managerial staff for environmental protection, environmental police forces, and funding for localities to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of environmental protection work in Phu Quoc Island District.

b) Limiting the degree of increased pollution:

- 100% of household, industrial, service, and hospital solid waste will be collected and treated according to regulations;

- An Thoi Town and Duong Dong Town will have stormwater collection systems and centralized domestic wastewater treatment systems meeting environmental standards;

- 100% of wastewater will be collected and treated to meet national technical environmental standards before discharge into the environment;

- 100% of households will have source waste sorting equipment.

c) Improving environmental quality:

- 100% of severely polluted areas (current localized wastewater, solid waste, dust, and foul odor pollution points) will be remediated and treated;

- Forest coverage ratio reaching over 75%;

- The area of the rich biodiversity landscape of the National Park and Biosphere Reserve of Phu Quoc Island will be preserved according to the plan.

III. SCOPE OF THE PLAN:

1. Spatial scope: the entire land area and coastal waters of Phú Quốc Island District, including eight communes and towns and the Nam An Thới island group.

2. Time frame: implementation from 2008 to 2020.

IV. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TASKS FOR PHÚ QUỐC ISLAND:

1. Issuing specific documents to concretize environmental protection laws with special characteristics and incentives applicable to Phú Quốc Island District:

a) Developing and promulgating regulations on environmental protection for Phú Quốc Island to concretize environmental protection laws for the island district, creating a legal framework for management work, inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms, conservation and protection of biodiversity, prevention and remediation of pollution and environmental degradation, contributing to the successful implementation of the project's contents and tasks.

b) Institutionalizing special mechanisms and preferential policies for environmental protection activities on the island; developing and piloting some new and special policies in the field of natural resource and environmental protection, such as payment for environmental services, eco-tourism, fees for public utilities related to environmental protection on the island.

c) Issuing certain provisions limiting or prohibiting investment in certain sectors and types of production that are not environmentally friendly, such as: exploiting and catching biological resources using destructive methods, out-of-season and over-quota; trading, consuming, and using wild plants and animals; producing and selling products harmful to humans, wildlife, and ecosystems; using raw materials and construction materials containing harmful elements exceeding permitted standards.

d) Developing and promulgating special environmental technical standards for the island district.

2. Investing in and upgrading technical infrastructure; strengthening specialized staff, managers, environmental police force, and funding for environmental protection activities in Phú Quốc Island District:

a) The People's Committee of Kiên Giang Province shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to strengthen investment in and upgrade technical infrastructure for agencies and units engaged in environmental protection work; supplementing and reinforcing specialized staff, managers in environmental protection, and the environmental police force, while increasing funding for the People's Committee of Phú Quốc Island District (Department of Natural Resources and Environment, County Police,...) to effectively implement the project's environmental protection contents and tasks, as well as intensify inspection, supervision, and combat against environmental crimes and violations of environmental protection laws occurring on the island.

b) The People's Committee of Kiên Giang Province shall allocate additional personnel and budget for state management functions regarding environmental protection in communes on the island during the implementation of the project's contents and tasks based on their authority, current legal regulations, and local conditions.

c) Implementing a business model serving public welfare purposes in the field of environmental protection technology.

3. Developing and issuing specialized plans for environmental protection:

a) Developing, reviewing, approving, and implementing plans for the wastewater treatment system, solid waste management, and drainage on the island, including: planning two medium-scale wastewater treatment stations (8,000 - 10,000 m³/day) for old and new urban areas (Bào Road, Suoi Lon) and industrial zones; planning a drainage system for these urban areas; planning a recycling and waste processing plant with a capacity of 200 tons/day in An Thoi Town; planning biogas digesters and hygienic toilets for rural households to completely eliminate direct discharge of waste into rivers, streams, and seas, while maximizing the utilization of bioenergy to meet daily needs on the island. During the planning process, it must be ensured that treated wastewater meets irrigation requirements during dry seasons and environmental discharge standards during rainy seasons. For commune centers, depending on population density, decentralized and on-site treatment technologies should be applied, and recycled water should be used for irrigation.³b) Developing, reviewing, approving, and implementing plans for biodiversity conservation on the island, paying attention to the conservation of Phú Quốc National Park, protection of the Phú Quốc Biosphere Reserve and Marine Protected Area; limiting the construction of large projects negatively impacting the national park; ensuring that construction within or near the national park (airports, water reservoirs, roads, etc.) minimizes adverse effects on the environment and ecosystem of the national park.

Measures to ensure the implementation of these plans include:

- Strengthening the replanting of mangrove forests, maintenance of planted forests on saline and acidic soils, planting salt-tolerant species like acacia. Implementing measures to enrich mangrove forests through diversification of plant and aquatic animal species, birds, and bats. Enhancing fire prevention measures in high-risk forest areas; replanting lost areas of acacia forests.

- Zoning coral reefs and seagrass beds, moving towards establishing coral and seagrass conservation areas; implementing management and monitoring measures for coral reef and seagrass ecosystems; implementing care, maintenance, and restoration measures for coral reefs and seagrass beds when incidents occur.

- Planning ecotourism routes and points within the national park and buffer zone. Protecting the original state of natural forest ecosystems and upstream protective forests of streams flowing into residential clusters at Bãi Thơm and Cửa Cạn. Organizing, supplementing, and completing the forest protection station system. Providing technical support and equipment to the community for forest protection.

- Organize the planning of eco-tourism routes and points within the scope of the National Park and the buffer zone. Protect the original state of natural forest ecosystems and upstream protective forests of streams flowing into residential clusters at Bai Thom and Cua Can. Organize, supplement, and complete the system of forest protection stations. Provide technical support and means to the local community for forest protection;

- Protect coral reef ecosystems, seagrass ecosystems, and mangrove forest ecosystems;

c) Establish, review, approve, and organize the implementation of plans for environmental monitoring and supervision networks; accordingly, by 2010, surface water monitoring will be conducted at 18 points, coastal surface water at 26 points, groundwater at 9 points, air at 10 points, noise at 10 points, and soil at 16 points. Expand the number of monitoring points, establish an automatic surface water monitoring system on land at 3 points, coastal sea water at 5 points, and air at 2 points by 2020.

4. Review and study to adjust some contents of approved development projects, plans, and programs to align with the objectives, contents, and tasks of the Phu Quoc Island Environmental Protection Program:

a) Study and adjust the Sustainable Transportation Development Plan for Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province through 2010 and towards 2020, already approved, towards reducing the scale of road construction, not expanding roads passing through the National Park and Biosphere Reserve (maintaining the current status, only upgrading and paving); focusing on developing bicycle and pedestrian paths suitable for building Phu Quoc into an eco-tourism and resort center. Organize the construction of certain sections of roads using elevated bridge designs to facilitate animal movement between both sides and the core area of the Phu Quoc National Park. Study and build an electric car, gas vehicle, and bicycle transportation system;

b) Study and adjust the General Construction Plan for Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province through 2020, already approved, towards reducing the number of planned golf courses, not constructing golf courses near the National Park and Biosphere Reserve, and in the sensitive northern part of the island; propose alternative plans for horse racing tracks to align with eco-tourism goals; re-plan the boundaries for permissible construction on beaches to create public spaces for tourism, avoiding natural disaster impacts and climate change. Adjust the plan for constructing water reservoirs and ensuring water sources, avoiding or reducing the scale of the Canh Port Water Reservoir construction; upgrade and expand the capacity of the Duong Dong Water Reservoir downstream and construct multiple small dams (small reservoirs) distributed along the island's streams without encroaching on forests or killing lower streams. Adjust the plan for centralized wastewater treatment stations in the Dam Bay and separate sewage collection pipelines (D600-2000) running through urban areas and tourist zones to direct all wastewater to a centralized treatment area, especially considering the scattered nature and uneven terrain of urban areas;

c) Study and adjust the Comprehensive Tourism Development Plan for Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province from 2006 to 2020, already approved; develop detailed plans for tourism development focusing on investing, renovating, and enhancing scenic spots and historical sites important to the community; develop and improve traditional craft village environments significant for tourism, such as Ham Ninh Fishing Village, Bai Thom, Rach Tram, Gan Dau, Canh Cạn, Mui Chua, Hon Thom. Organize ecological labeling for famous products of Phu Quoc, such as Phu Quoc fish sauce, pepper, Sim wine, etc., contributing to building a unique image for future Phu Quoc tourism. Combine environmental protection with developing eco-tourism models, encouraging community participation in eco-tourism, rural tourism, craft village tourism, and culinary tourism, while implementing biodiversity conservation planning in the county, particularly conserving ecosystems and biodiversity in the National Park and marine biodiversity;

d) Study and adjust the Land Use Plan for Phu Quoc Island, integrating environmental factors, territorial planning, and adaptation to climate change, specifically: consider and adjust the conversion rate of agricultural and forestry land with forests to other uses; reduce unused land and strengthen the conversion of purposes, especially for tourism activities; plan appropriate locations for small and medium-sized water reservoir systems; replace the plan to allocate 15 hectares of the Dam Bay area for centralized wastewater treatment with a decentralized wastewater treatment area at suitable locations;

đ) Closely monitor environmental impacts (based on strategic environmental assessment results) when implementing plans. Economic and social development plans and industry development plans that have undergone strategic environmental assessments must track environmental impact developments during implementation to make timely adjustments if necessary.

5. Prevent and control environmental pollution:

a) Establish a database system and strictly control pollution sources, particularly those affecting surface water, groundwater, and coastal seawater. Expand water supply networks in urban areas, especially in Duong Dong and An Thoi Towns. Plan and construct small-scale water supply stations; build household-level rainwater storage tanks to ensure adequate water supply during dry seasons. Apply water reuse and recycling methods to reduce water consumption and wastewater treatment needs. Adjust crop structures and apply advanced irrigation methods to limit excessive exploitation and use of inland water resources;

b) Monitor water quality; apply the ISO 14001 environmental management system to production, business, and service establishments; implement cleaner production methods in factories and industrial clusters; issue stricter technical standards for wastewater from urban areas, coastal hotels, and resorts compared to national environmental technical standards. Control all sources discharging pollutants into the surrounding environment. Gradually improve the drainage systems in Duong Dong Town, An Thoi Town, and village centers. Develop and expand public toilet facilities at markets, ports, and establish exemplary management models. Regularly collect floating waste and plants from rivers, canals, ditches, and the southern sea area of An Thoi Town. Deploy and ensure the continuous operation of the water environment monitoring network on the Island.

c) Study and apply measures to reduce pollution from diesel power plant operations. Develop and utilize clean energy sources. Construct equipment to capture gases and filter odors before discharge. Promote electric vehicles and gas-powered vehicles, bicycles as primary transportation means on the Island.

6. Vigorously promote the transfer of pollution treatment technology and environmentally friendly production technology:

a) Issue incentive mechanisms and preferential policies for activities related to the transfer of pollution treatment technology and environmentally friendly production technology. Develop a system of scientific research institutions and implement environmental technology.

b) Implement research programs and topics on pollution treatment technology and environmentally friendly production technology to effectively serve practical needs and state management work on environmental protection on the Island.

7. Reduce and adapt to climate change:

a) Based on national and regional climate change scenarios, forecast the impact of climate change on the Island County. Warn about areas heavily affected, particularly rising sea levels, to serve planning and development.

b) Propose appropriate solutions for industries to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Mitigation measures include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from various sources using environmentally friendly technologies, promoting reforestation, etc. Adaptation measures primarily involve integrating climate change impacts into development plans, implementing protective measures such as dikes and revetments in sensitive areas; warning about low-lying areas susceptible to rising sea levels.

8. Promote education, raise awareness, and enhance community responsibility for environmental protection:

a) Launch community campaigns to participate in environmental protection; issue criteria for green, clean, beautiful, and safe villages, towns, and households, integrated with the movement to build cultural communities and families; annually recognize and reward villages, towns, households with outstanding achievements in environmental protection work.

b) Organize mobile propaganda teams on environmental protection; incorporate environmental protection content into regular radio programs in villages, towns; popularize and enhance understanding of the environment, provide information on environmental protection to the people; continuously promote community campaigns to participate in environmental protection, highlight and widely disseminate exemplary advanced practices in environmental protection activities.

9. Approve in principle 16 priority projects under three main content groups (Appendix attached) to successfully implement the environmental protection objectives and tasks of the Phu Quoc Island County Project.

The total budget to implement the 16 priority projects of the Project over 12 years (2008-2020) is estimated at approximately 800 billion VND (eight hundred billion VND), sourced from central and local government budgets, investment capital from businesses operating in production, business, and services on the Island, preferential loans or grants from the Vietnam Environmental Protection Fund, non-repayable aid, preferential credit, and support and grants from organizations and individuals both domestically and internationally. The total budget above is determined based on the consolidation of project-specific budgets approved by competent authorities according to current legal regulations.

V. IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES:

1. Vigorously promote propaganda, education, and enhance community residents', government levels', mass organizations', enterprises', organizations', and individuals' awareness, consciousness, and responsibility in protecting the Island's environment.

2. Strengthen coordination among agencies, departments during the implementation of the Project's contents according to sustainable development perspectives. Closely integrate and incorporate environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and natural landscape preservation requirements into the process of formulating, reviewing, approving, and implementing economic and social development plans and projects of Phu Quoc Island. The formulation of mechanisms, policies, plans, and projects must necessarily involve close cooperation between specialized environmental management agencies and relevant agencies, ensuring compliance with environmental protection laws, while issuing coordination mechanisms clearly defining the responsibilities of the lead agency and cooperating agencies in implementing the Project's contents and tasks.

3. Strengthen periodic and spot inspections of production, business, and service establishments operating on the Island, promptly identify environmental violations, and strictly handle them according to legal provisions.

4. Enhance the participation of the people in environmental protection work in the Island District, issue mechanisms and policies to enable the people to actively participate in environmental protection activities, incorporate environmental protection content into the daily life of residential areas and communities, and fully leverage the positive role of social organizations. Promote socialization in environmental protection work to mobilize maximum social resources for effective implementation of the project's contents and tasks.

5. Strengthen and diversify investment capital from the state budget, enterprises, community residents, organizations, and individuals for the implementation of the project's contents and tasks. The state budget (central and local) should allocate sufficient and timely funds for priority projects, combined with attracting various other investment sources from enterprises, community residents, organizations, and individuals both domestically and internationally for the implementation of the project's contents and tasks. Establish and develop the Phu Quoc Environmental Protection Fund. Manage investment capital for environmental protection in the Island District in a thrifty, efficient manner, focusing on key areas, avoiding dispersion and low efficiency.

6. Strengthen international cooperation to effectively implement the project's contents and tasks. Develop international cooperation programs and projects on environmental protection with regional characteristics, especially coordinating with neighboring countries such as Thailand and Cambodia, focusing on areas where Phu Quoc Island has advantages, such as establishing marine conservation zones and protecting marine biodiversity. Enhance cooperation with regional countries on technology transfer; promote the provision of environmental information and establish a regional environmental information network. Develop scientific research projects with international organization investments, particularly prioritizing issues such as regional marine biodiversity, protecting tourism landscape environments, and preventing the deterioration of historical relics.

VI. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION:

1. People's Committee of Kien Giang Province:

a) Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, relevant ministries and sectors to effectively implement the project's contents and tasks, regularly report annually to the Prime Minister on the implementation results or propose measures, mechanisms, and policies to address new emerging issues, difficulties, and obstacles beyond their authority during the implementation process of the project;

b) The People's Council and People's Committee of Kien Giang Province shall base on current laws and actual conditions of the locality to issue specific legal documents to concretize environmental protection laws, special mechanisms, and preferential policies suitable for Phu Quoc Island in accordance with the Law on Organization of People's Councils and People's Committees at all levels, ensuring increased investment and upgrading technical facilities for agencies and units engaged in environmental protection work, increasing specialized staff, managers, environmental police forces, and funding for the People's Committee of Phu Quoc District to successfully implement the project's contents and tasks;

c) Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to develop and promulgate specialized plans for environmental protection in the Island District and organize their implementation; study and adjust the land use plan for Phu Quoc Island to be consistent with the environmental protection content of the project;

d) Coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to study amendments and propose necessary adjustments in approved sectoral plans to ensure consistency with the project's environmental protection requirements;

đ) Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, relevant ministries and sectors to build, review, approve, and effectively implement the 11 priority projects assigned as the main responsibility in the project according to schedule;

2. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment:

a) Lead and coordinate with the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province, relevant ministries and sectors to build, review, approve, and effectively implement the four priority projects assigned as the main responsibility in the project according to schedule;

b) Coordinate with the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province, relevant ministries and sectors to effectively implement the project's contents and tasks; regularly report annually in coordination with the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province to the Prime Minister on the implementation results or propose measures, mechanisms, and policies to address new emerging issues, difficulties, and obstacles beyond their authority during the implementation process of the project;

c) Coordinate with the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province to develop and promulgate specialized plans for environmental protection and study and adjust the land use plan for Phu Quoc Island to be consistent with the project's content;

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance shall be responsible for balancing and allocating funds to effectively and timely implement the priority projects on environmental protection in the Island District of the project approved by competent authorities.

4. Ministries: Construction, Transport, Culture, Sports and Tourism shall base on their functions, tasks, and scope of state management to lead and coordinate with the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to study and adjust some contents in the approved planning on construction development, sustainable transportation development, and island tourism development of Phu Quoc Island to be consistent with the environmental protection tasks of the Island District in the project.

5. Other ministries and sectors shall base on their functions, tasks, and scope of state management to coordinate with the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to organize the implementation of related contents and tasks in the project.

Article 2.This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 3.Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of agencies under the Government, and Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Giang Province are responsible for implementing this Decision./.