Aside from socio-economic field, over the past 25 years, Da Nang has paid special attention to environmental protection with the aim to ensure its sustainable development in the spirit of Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW regarding the local progress by 2030 with a vision toward 2045.

Forest rangers and Co Tu ethnic minority people in Ta Lang and Gian Bi villages (Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District), and Ka Dong Village (Tu Commune, Dong Giang District, Quang Nam Province) have stayed in Uoi (Malva nut) forests for one month to protect them. Photo: HOANG HIEP

Developing forests and planting more trees

Director of the Da Nang Forest Protection Department Phan The Dung acknowledged that, over the past years, the city's forestry sector has well implemented forest management, protection and development works.

Notably, many programmes, projects and movements regarding forest protection and afforestation have created new vitality for rural and mountainous areas. Many vacant lands and bare hills are covered with green trees.

Currently, the city's forestry sector is trying to successfully realise its goal of maintaining forest cover according to the Politburo’s Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW, especially focusing on forest protection, forest fire prevention, and planting 362ha of coastal protection forests.

In response to the national government-approved plan to plant one billion trees nationwide during the 2021-2025 period, Da Nang plans to raise VND202.7 billion to plant 5,017 million trees of all kinds in order to protect the ecological environment, improve the natural landscape, and enhance the quality of people's lives.

Building more parks and green spaces

In an effort to continue secure its brand name of a ‘worth living’ city, on April 2, 2021, Da Nang government issued plans to implement the project ‘Building Da Nang into an Environmentally-friendly City’ for the 2021 - 2030 period at a total cost of VND 15,546 billion.

The project aims to realise Da Nang’s target of becoming an eco-city by 2030, and creating a safe and healthy environment for local residents, tourists and investors from both home and abroad.

Under the plan, the project’s specific objectives are divided into key groups, namely environmental pollution prevention and control, environmental improvement, the solving of key environmental problems, the conservation of nature and biodiversity, capacity building and raising public awareness of environmental protection.

In detail, as for the environmental pollution prevention and control criteria, by 2030, there will be at least 3 eco-industrial parks and 25% of the public buses will run on electric motors. The rate of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from electric and renewable energy development solutions by 2030 will decrease by 5 - 7%.

With regard to the criteria set for environmental improvement, by 2030, 100% of the urban population will be provided with clean water through a centralised water supply system. The rate of standardised treated urban domestic wastewater will hit 95%.  More than 97% of collected and treated domestic solid waste will meet the prescribed standards. The rate of hazardous waste collected and treated in line with the regulations will reach 100%. Also, environmental pollution hotspots will be eliminated.

In the criteria for the conservation of nature and biodiversity, focus will be on ensuring no changes to land use purpose of natural and protection forests, promoting an increase in forest cover rate, maintaining the protected land area and protecting biodiversity, and ensuring that the allocation of public greenery land per capita in the inner-city areas will stand at 9m²/person by 2025.

On the spotlight in capacity promotion and raising public awareness of environmental protection is to ensure that 100% of the local households carrying out waste sorting at the source will reach 100% by 2030, the rate of schools doing so will be 100% by 2025. 100% of feedbacks and recommendations on environmental pollution issues will be promptly resolved.

Director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment To Van Hung said that under the project, the quality of the soil, water and air environment must be ensured, thereby creating safe and healthy environment for residents and, domestic and foreign tourists, as well as creating a solid foundation to ensure the sustainable city development in the future.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP - Translating by M.DUNG