Pollution and waste
Air pollution
Capital hoteliers address empty rooms
A lack of tourist attractions combined with overly-optimistic developers has left around 80 percent of Nay Pyi Taw hotel rooms empty on any given day. But the chair of a local tourism industry body believes better marketing can help the city improve its visitor numbers. U ...
Garbage disposal discussed
The second national workshop on better waste management was held in the capital this week to discuss and finalize a strategy to deal with Cambodia’s less-than-effective methods of garbage disposal. Officials from the Ministry of Environment met with the Japan-based Institute of Global Environmental Strategies ...
Noise – the hidden killer in HCM City
Tens of millions of Saigonese not only suffer from the effects of waste water, hazardous waste and emissions, but also from noise. Medical experts say that noise has damaging effects – physiological, psychological and social. Physiologically, when noise exceeds acceptable levels, noise can cause ear injury ...
Hạ Long cement factory causing pollution
Many households in northern Quảng Ninh Province’s Hoành Bồ District have been forced to live with smoke and cement dust discharged from Hạ Long Cement Factory for years. This has seriously affected the lives of local residents and their cultivation activities. In the meantime, local ...
69m people breathed toxic smoke from 2015 Indonesian fires: study

Sixty-nine million people were exposed to toxic haze as a result of last year’s devastating wildfires in Indonesia, a new study has found. Little is known about the health impacts of Indonesia’s annual fires, which spread uncontrollably because the country’s vast peat swamp zones have ...
Ministry demands closure of factory, chicken farm
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has recommended revoking the licences of a chicken farm and a brick factory in Xaythany district, Vientiane, after learning they were causing pollution and affecting nearby communities. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sommad Pholsena told the National Assembly ...
300 million children live in areas with extreme air pollution, data reveals

Global study reveals huge number of children breathing toxic fumes more than six times over safe limits, while billions are affected by air pollution that exceeds guidelines. Three hundred million of the world’s children live in areas with extreme air pollution, where toxic fumes are more ...
Residents fear restart of coal power plant

A coal-fired power plant in southern Shan State that was shut down two years ago due to residents’ complaints may be reopening, despite the opposition of the local community, villagers say. They are already accusing local officials of breaking their promises. Test operations at the plant, ...
Ministry names 30 environmentally unfriendly projects

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced a list of 30 thermal electricity, hydropower, chemical and mining projects that are posing risks to the environment. Among the environmentally unfriendly projects are thermal power plants Thai Binh 1, Vinh Tan 2, Vinh Tan 4, expanded Vinh ...
Gov’t names 27 potential polluters

Up to 27 projects of seven State corporations are listed in a Ministry of Industry and Trade’s directive as being liable to cause environmental pollution. In the directive on strengthening environmental protection issued this week, Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh requested all relevant ...