Vietnam threatened by 15 million tons of waste annually

Vietnam produces over 15 million tons of waste annually, most of which is not safely disposed, according to the Vietnam Environment Monitor 2004 just released, threatening public health and the environment. The report is the third in the Monitor series tracking environmentaltrends in Vietnam, jointly sponsored by Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the World Bank (WB) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through its Waste-Econ project. As summarized by Vietnam News Briefs, "Urban areas, which contain only 24% of the population of the country, generate over 6 million tons or 50% of the country's municipal waste. By 2010, municipal waste generation is expected to increase by over 60%, while industrial waste would increase by 50% and hazardous waste generation by over threefold." (World Bank Press Release Nov 24, Econet Nov 25 p5, Capital Security Nov 25 p5, People's Army Nov 25 p8, Vietnam Economic Times Nov 25 p1)