With the goal of sustainable development, Binh Duong province determines that economic growth must be accompanied by environmental protection. In 2009, provincial Environmental Protection Fund was founded, making a positive contribution to the province in its strategy towards sustainable development.
Environmental Protection Fund supports a waste treatment project in the province.
To assist enterprises in environmental protection
From the early 1990s, the province established the first industrial park (IP). At present, the whole province has 29 industrial parks and 12 industrial complexes (ICs) with a total area of 9,137.95 hectares, of which 27 IPs and 10 ICs have been put into operation. These IPs and ICs have more than 40,000 enterprises, creating a great pressure on environmental protection.
Based on Law on Environmental Protection 2005, in 2009, Provincial People's Committee decided to establish Environmental Protection Fund with the goal of allocating capital to support and encourage organizations and individuals in the province to borrow loans with preferential interest rates from the fund to invest in environmental protection. The newly established Environmental Protection Fund was an important economic tool in parallel with environmental management tools, contributing to improving the effectiveness of environmental protection tasks in the whole province.
Dinh Sao Mai, Director of Environment Protection Fund, said that with the attention and support of provincial leadership, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Finance, and the assistance of other agencies, operations of the fund are developing. From an initial capital of VND 30 billion, the fund's capital now increases to VND 180 billion, is expected to increase to VND 200 billion by the end of 2019, of which the fund contributed more than VND 26 billion from its profits.
So far, the fund has provided financial support with preferential interest rates for more than 80 investment projects in environmental protection activities with a total loan of VND 344 billion, including projects to build wastewater treatment systems with a total of operating capacity of over 28,000m3 / day and night, projects to build and install automatic waste water monitoring stations, waste gas treatment, dust treatment systems, projects to buy garbage collection and transportation vehicles with a total estimated operating capacity of 175 tons / day and night.
The fund's operations have met the established criteria for using capital efficiently in investment incentives for environmental protection activities, helping individuals and organizations to be financially confident in environmental protection activities. Over a ten-year period, the fund well controlled the sources of debt collection, did not allowed bad debts to occur, prevented losses of State budget, ensured capital safety and financial autonomy.
To actively sponsor environmental protection activities
In addition to financial support with preferential interest rates, the fund also actively sponsors communication activities on environmental protection. Besides, the fund collaborated with local authorities such as Fatherland Front, Youth Union, and People’s Committees of districts, towns and city to implement sponsorship programs.
Since its foundation, the fund has provided over VND 800 million for activities, such as waste exchange program for gifts on occasion of World Environment Day; presenting dustbins to residential areas and green lodging houses; carried out communication support activities on on-site waste sorting...
The finance for environmental protection has contributed to raising people's awareness about environmental protection measures, classification, recycling and reuse of waste in daily life. These activities have been actively supported and appreciated by the community. Also in these activities, provincial Environment Protection Fund also integrated the promotion of its functions and tasks to the community to enhance financial support opportunities.
Regularly urging enterprises to make deposits according to regulations
To implement Circular 38/2015/TT-BTNMT dated 30 Aug 2015 of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment stipulating the deposit for environmental remediation in mineral exploitation activities, provincial Environmental Protection Fund urged, instructed, and supervised enterprises to deposit in accordance with regulations. Over 10 years, the fund received deposits for environmental remediation and restoration in mineral exploitation activities of 54 mining projects of 40 enterprises with a total amount of over VND78 billion. This amount is managed by the fund through a separate account as prescribed, ready to refund environmental remediation activities of businesses as well as pay interest to businesses equal to the current interest rate of the fund.
The operations of the fund helped people and businesses to protect the environment by their own activities, and to protect the environment for the community and the region. Through the forms of financial support of the fund, such as waste sorting activities, environmental protection communication, people's awareness of environmental protection was improved.
Provincial Environment Protection Fund’s support form is lending with preferential interest rates, which has contributed to the province's policy on investment attraction, supported businesses in capital for environmental protection, thereby encouraging enterprises to participate more actively, comply with regulations on environmental protection. Currently, many individuals and organizations knowing about this fund boldly contacted to borrow loans, apply for funding, and participated in environmental protection activities.
Ten years after establishment, more and more businesses have access to preferential loans of provincial Environment Protection Fund to carry out environmental protection projects in production and business activities. Many programs of environmental protection financed by this fund have been useful to people's lives, creating good habits and awareness of environmental protection in the business community and population communities. With these achievements, in 2017, provincial Environmental Protection Fund received an environmental prize by Provincial People's Committee for their outstanding achievements in the cause of environmental protection in the province.
Reported by Phung Hieu – Translated by Ngoc Huynh
