The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in co-operation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other agencies, have successfully secured US$5 million funding from the Global Environment Facility to address the persisting dioxin problems in the most contaminated areas of Viet Nam, according to Minister Pham Khoi Nguyen.
The fund would be used to implement a new project called "Environmental Remediation of Dioxin Contaminated Hotspots in Viet Nam" which was kicked off in Ha Noi yesterday with a focus on three main hotspots including Bien Hoa Airport in southern Dong Nai Province, Da Nang Airport in central Da Nang City and Phu Cat Airport in central Binh Dinh Province.
Nguyen said the dioxin concentration in these three places was much higher than permitted by both national and international standards.
According to UNDP Resident Co-ordinator John Hendra, the funding came at the right time when all procedures of the Vietnamese Government and UNDP had been already been cleared.
"Although the $5 million project will be an important contribution to actual clean-up of contaminated soil and sediment, more funds will be needed for the full remediation of all dioxin hotspots in Viet Nam," he said
Minister Nguyen said the funding action of the Global Environment Facility would inspire other organisations to join the collective efforts to help Viet Nam overcome the dioxin legacy of the war.
About 80 million litres of herbicides, mainly Agent Orange containing dioxin, were sprayed over South Viet Nam during the Viet Nam War.
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