New rural development: Efforts to implement environmental criteria

(LSO) – For many communes, environment is one of the most difficult criteria because implementing it not only requires resources, but most importantly, it is also necessary to raise awareness and cooperation of the people.

Overcoming difficulties in 2020

In 2020, the Provincial People’s Committee directed the selection of 13 pilot communes to strive for the new rural standards. In order to implement environmental criteria, the propaganda and encouragement are always actively implemented by specialized agencies. Mr. Nguyen Vinh Phu, Director of Provincial Environmental Protection Sub-Department said: “In 2020, the propaganda and training on implementation of environmental criteria are more difficult because of the Covid-19 epidemic. The Sub-Department has been proactive and flexible to deploy many appropriate measures. For example, during the epidemic, the unit proactively printed documents to send to communes and villages in advance for people. When the epidemic calmed down, we coordinated to organize propaganda and training classes to help people know, at the same time, directly corresponded to difficulties and problems so that the communes and villages could quickly start implementing.”

Youth union members supported to build garbage incinerators in Tu Xuyen commune, Van Quan district

From the beginning of 2020 up to now, the Provincial Environmental Protection Sub-Department has organized 10 training courses on the implementation of environmental criteria in the pilot communes, each course has 100 participants; distributed thousands of propaganda materials on new rural development, including over 150 ones of environmental criteria … For communes to well implement environmental criteria, from different resources, Provincial People’s Committee has allocated more than 7 billion VND to the communes to support the construction and renovation of latrines, bathrooms, relocation of breeding facilities … of households. By the end of October 2020, the whole province has 7/13 pilot communes meeting the environmental criteria. It is expected that in November 2020, the remaining pilot communes will meet these criteria.

   Consolidating, improving quality

Achieving the environmental criterion is difficult, but it is even more difficult to keep the achievement remained. Therefore, the maintenance, consolidation and improvement of the quality of environmental criteria have been closely directed by many communes and villages that have met the new rural standards. Quang Hoa village, Cuong Loi commune, Dinh Lap district is an example. Mr. Nguyen Van Khanh, Head of Quang Hoa village said: “After Cuong Loi commune was recognized as meeting new rural standards (in 2017), villagers continued to implement measures to maintain the criteria, including environmental one. Twice a month, people clean up village roads and lanes; care of flowers green fences. In other days, individual households and residential blocks clean up the surrounding area.”

The people of Lien Hoi commune, Van Quan district built flower pots along the road to create a green, clean, beautiful landscape

Similarly, after being recognized as meeting new rural standards (in 2019), Cao Minh commune, Trang Dinh district continued to focus on maintaining and improving the quality of environmental criteria. Mr. Trinh The Truyen, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the Commune People’s Committee said: “In addition to propagating and encouraging the people to regularly clean village roads, lanes, the commune continued to integrating resources, mobilizing people to build and renovate to raise the ratio of standard latrines and bathrooms. In 2019, the percentage of households with hygienic latrines reached over 86%, now it has increased to over 90%; the proportion of households with clean bathroom was 75%, now increasing to over 85%.

Along with the two above cases, people in many other communes of new rural development in the province have also joined hands and contributed to maintaining and improving the quality of environmental criteria. Besides, the State continues to support resources for communes to build advanced communes of new rural development, model residential areas (including environmental criteria). By the end of 2019, the whole province has 64/207 communes meeting environmental criteria.

With the State’s support of resources and the joint efforts of the people, the implementation of environmental criteria in the province has achieved positive results. However, in order to maintain and improve the quality of the criteria, in addition to the direction of relevant levels and sectors, it is very necessary to proactively raise the awareness of the people because in fact, the environmental protection and hygiene in some communes of new rural development has not been regular, yet to follow the regulations.