Veolia Water supports a great cause of sustainable development: helping the city of Haiphong (Vietnam) to restore and preserve the environmental quality of the water of its bay, while ongoing economic activities continue.
Backing the sustainable development of the bay of Haiphong
Haiphong, the second biggest industrial hub of Vietnam thanks to steel manufacture, shipbuilding and textiles, is also the country's second largest port.
All human enterprises connected with the sea rub shoulders in its bay: harbor development, fishing, aquaculture, passenger transport to the islands of the bay of Halong, and tourism.
Today, the situation is a cause for concern: the quality of the water in the bay, and hence that of the foods derived from the sea, has deteriorated substantially, and health problems are emerging.
The whole economic chain connected with maritime activity is thus imperiled: the city of Haiphong fears an intensification of the damage observed, a shrinkage of the biodiversity, a ban on exporting products from the sea, and a decline in tourist activity.
Signing a "bay contract"
In 1990, the port of Brest experienced the same hazards - health, environmental and economic. A comprehensive coastline management process led to the signature of a "bay contract" associating all the socioeconomic players active in the area. Since then, 10 years of constant and concerted efforts have helped improve the quality of the water in the basin and to develop shellfish breeding and tourism anew - and without restricting the harbor and agricultural activities close to the port.
Recently, the Technopôle de Brest-Iroise therefore offered the city of Haiphong to develop the same type of action. A "bay contract" similar to the Brest contract will accordingly be set up in Haiphong.
The approach will rely on a series of actions aimed to draw up a precise diagnosis of the situation, to identify all the relevant players at the administrative, economic and scientific levels, and then to devise and rank the solutions aimed to minimize the main sources of pollution.
By assisting the startup of this program, the Veolia Environnement Foundation is engaging in a large scale project, which is exemplary in terms of sustainable development. The aim is in fact to preserve the environmental quality of the bay, the biodiversity of the "Red River Estuary", and promote continued economic growth (fisheries, aquaculture and tourism).
Sponsor's Summary
"Vietnam is a country enjoying strong economic growth, but it must now learn to manage the environmental and health impacts of its growth. This is why I strongly back this project, especially since the Technopôle de Brest-Iroise has acquired extremely useful knowhow during the project to improve the water quality of the port of Brest, and has plenty of specialists available in food toxicology and sanitary degradation of the produce of the sea."
Marie-Marguerite Bourbigot, Veolia Eau.
The Veolia Environnement Foundation
The Veolia Environnement Foundation, created in May 2004 and allocated an annual budget of €5 million, is one of the leading private-sector foundations in France. It supports non-profit, community-oriented projects contributing to sustainable development, with special focus on outreach, workforce development and environmental conservation in France and internationally.