Decision 24/QD-TTg 2024 approve Overall Master Plan on National Environmental Monitoring for 2021-2030

DECISION

Approving the Overall Master Plan on National Environmental Monitoring for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050^[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to the November 17, 2020 Law on Environmental Protection;

Pursuant to the November 24, 2017 Planning Law;

Pursuant to the November 20, 2018 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of Thirty-Seven Laws Concerning Planning;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 450/QD-TTg of April 13, 2022, approving the National Strategy for Environmental Protection through 2030, with a vision toward 2050;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 149/QD-TTg of January 28, 2022, approving the National Strategy for Biodiversity through 2030, with a vision toward 2050;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 259/QD-TTg of February 14, 2020, approving the task of formulating the National Master Plan on Environmental Monitoring for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

At the proposal of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, and based on the Interdisciplinary Appraisal Council’s Report of September 15, 2023, on the appraisal of the Overall Master Plan on National Environmental Monitoring for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Overall Master Plan on National Environmental Monitoring for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050 (below referred to as the Master Plan) with the following principal contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS

1. The planned National Environmental Monitoring Network must comply with the Law on Environmental Protection, conform to the national planning system and reality of national socio-economic development; facilitate the performance of fundamental environmental monitoring and environmental impact monitoring for inter-regional, inter-provincial and cross-border areas, thus contributing to evaluating the environmental carrying capacity, and prioritizing the improvement of the national environmental warning and forecasting capacity.

2. The National Environmental Monitoring Network shall be planned on the basis of perpetuating environmental monitoring contents of the master plan on national natural resources and environment monitoring network for the 2016-2025 period, with a vision toward 2030, covering the contents in different fields and using the existing physical and technical facilities and environmental monitoring officers.

3. The planned National Environmental Monitoring Network is expected to address inadequacies in the previous master plans, thereby supplying more advanced and modern monitoring tools and equipment, intensifying digital transformation and accumulating resources for the processing and assessment of environmental quality monitoring data.

4. The planned National Environmental Monitoring Network is an open system that will be regularly adjusted and supplemented in order to meet requirements on monitoring data serving the environmental quality assessment in inter-regional, inter-provincial and cross-border areas.

5. More resources will be supplied to the national environmental monitoring planning system in order to meet practical requirements and effectively serve the state management of the environment. The investment in building new monitoring systems must be made in a focused and selective manner and in conformity with socio-economic conditions in each period, and aimed toward intensifying the mobilization of more and more social resources for environmental monitoring activities.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives:

To build a complete, advanced and modern national environmental monitoring system that is capable of supervising inter-regional, inter-provincial and cross-border important areas and areas where waste sources are dense, and perform biodiversity monitoring in nature reserves, biodiversity corridors and high-biodiversity areas; to enhance the connection with provincial-level environmental monitoring systems; to ensure the monitoring of environmental quality changes; to meet requirements for provision, announcement and disclosure of environmental monitoring information and data, and raise the environmental warning and forecasting capacity.

2. Specific objectives

a/ For the 2021-2030 period:

- For the air quality monitoring network:

+ To maintain the existing 19 automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations; to complete the investment in and installation of 18 automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations in monitoring locations already included in the previous master plans;

+ To make further investments or additionally build for completing 31 automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations nationwide, including 6 automatic and continuous air-quality fundamental monitoring stations in the 6 socio-economic regions;

+ To establish and complete the network of periodical air quality monitoring stations nationwide, focusing on the important socio-economic development regions and areas where waste sources are dense, ensuring the assessment of impacts on the air environment in industrial development and densely populated areas;

+ To initially establish the network for monitoring automatic mercury in air.

- For the surface water quality monitoring network:

+ To establish and complete the inter-provincial network for automatic and continuous monitoring of river and reservoir/lake water quality in headwater and cross-border locations and adjacent locations of provinces;

+ To build networks for periodical surface water quality monitoring in the mainstreams of inter-provincial rivers reservoirs/lakes that are important for socio-economic development and environmental protection.

- For river estuary water and seawater quality monitoring:

+ To maintain and expand the monitoring at river estuaries and coastal locations under the previous master plans;

+ To establish the network for seawater quality monitoring in sea areas under Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereignty right and jurisdiction in accordance with Vietnam’s law.

- For soil quality monitoring: To formulate monitoring programs that are open and conformable with the soil environment protection objectives specified by the Law on Environmental Protection.

- For the groundwater monitoring network: To carry out monitoring in densely populated areas and areas that are important for socio-economic development and environmental protection.

- For the acid rain monitoring network: To establish this monitoring network on the basis of taking over and using physical facilities of the existing monitoring stations and stations currently under construction.

- For the biodiversity monitoring network: To prioritize the performance of monitoring in internationally ranked nature reserves, then organize synchronous monitoring in all nature reserves nationwide according to a set schedule and biodiversity monitoring indicators.

- To build or upgrade and modernize environmental quality laboratories and monitoring stations; to complete the building of laboratories of the Environmental Monitoring Station in the southeastern region.

- To design and build the national environmental monitoring information system and database integrate all environmental quality monitoring data into a sole national system, and share environmental quality data and announce environmental quality information of all centrally and locally managed environmental quality monitoring points; to formulate a mechanism for coordination and sharing of environmental monitoring information between monitoring networks/programs; to concentrate on modernizing and building capacity for environmental monitoring data processing centers, and implement a number of digital transformation models to ensure provision of synchronous, systematic and highly reliable information; to initially carry out environmental quality warning activities to serve as a basis for making environmental quality forecasts in the major cities.     

b/ Vision toward 2050:

- To intensify investment in and expand automatic and continuous air quality and water quality monitoring stations with the application of new monitoring technologies in order to gradually replace periodical air and surface water quality monitoring points with automatic and continuous air quality and water quality monitoring stations.

- To carry out biodiversity monitoring in established biodiversity corridors and high-biodiversity areas.

- To research and apply modern technologies and information processing models using artificial intelligence (AI), and comprehensively apply digital transformation models in the management and analysis of environmental monitoring data to serve environmental quality forecasting activities.

- To intensify the mobilization of social resources for the implementation of master plans, formulate a mechanism for giving priority to and encouraging organizations and individuals to build automatic and continuous environmental quality monitoring stations and participate in periodical environmental monitoring programs in order to make the best use of resources and physical facilities of non-state units.

III. SCOPE OF THE MASTER PLAN

1. The Master Plan shall be implemented in the whole land territory, islands, archipelagoes, and underground, sea and airspace areas of Vietnam.  

2. The Master Plan does not cover specialized monitoring stations that exclusively serve the needs of ministries, sectors, localities and enterprises.

IV. BASIC COMPONENTS OF MONITORING NETWORKS

1. The air quality monitoring network:

a/ Locations of surrounding air quality monitoring points

- To maintain and expand the surrounding air quality monitoring network at 216 air quality monitoring points on the basis of continuing to maintain monitoring at 106 points already included in the previous master plans and building 110 new ones. The planned 216 monitoring points include 103 monitoring points currently under construction, 98 monitoring points planned to be built in the 2021-2030 period and 15 automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations to be built after 2030.

- Regarding monitoring forms:

+ For automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations: To expand and build 68 automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations, including 6 air quality fundamental monitoring stations and 62 air quality impact monitoring stations.   

. Air quality fundamental monitoring stations will be built for the 6 socio-economic development regions and located in Lai Chau, Quang Nam, Dak Nong, Dong Nai and Dong Thap provinces and Hai Phong city.

. Eighteen air quality monitoring stations/points will be used for the purpose of cross-border impact monitoring;

. Ten automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations will continue to be maintained at the surface meteorological monitoring stations within the network of hydro-meteorological monitoring stations.

+ For periodical air quality monitoring points: To carry out impact monitoring at 148 monitoring points, focusing on provinces/cities in the regions and cities that are of socio-political importance.

+ Based on the objectives of research and assessment serving the state management work, to design thematic air quality monitoring stations under regulations, including roadside (traffic) stations, industrial stations and residential stations.

b/ Air quality monitoring frequency

For periodical monitoring activities, to step by step increase the monitoring frequency at monitoring points, specifically as follows:

- For the 2021-2025 period: At least 8 times per year.

- For the 2026-2030: At least 12 times per year.

c/ Air quality monitoring parameters

- For automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations: Air quality monitoring parameters include at least SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃, PM₁₀ dust, and PM_2.5 dust.  

- For periodical air quality monitoring stations: Air quality monitoring parameters include at least SO₂, NO₂, CO, and TSP dust. For the 5 centrally run cities, at least PM_2.5 dust will be added to air quality monitoring parameters. 

d/ Integration of noise monitoring points into 216 monitoring points of the surrounding air quality monitoring network: Based on the network of locations of surrounding air quality monitoring points, to select appropriate locations for additional monitoring of noise.

Details of the master plan on the air quality monitoring network are provided in Appendix I to this Decision.

2. The surface water quality monitoring network:

a/ Locations of surface water quality monitoring points

- To maintain and expand the surface water quality monitoring network at 499 surface water quality monitoring points on the basis of continuing to maintain monitoring at 368 points already included in the previous master plans and build 131 new ones. The planned 499 surface water monitoring points include 260 monitoring points currently under construction, 216 monitoring points planned to be built in the 2021-2030 period and 23 automatic and continuous surface water quality monitoring stations to be built after 2030.

- Regarding monitoring forms:

+ For automatic and continuous surface water quality monitoring stations: To expand and build 59 automatic and continuous surface water quality monitoring stations, including 6 fundamental monitoring stations and 53 continuous impact monitoring stations; to use 4 automatic and continuous surface water quality stations for the purpose of cross-border impact monitoring;

+ For periodical surface water monitoring points: To carry out impact monitoring at 440 monitoring points in the mainstreams of major, inter-provincial and cross-border rivers that are of socio-political importance, including Cau river; Nhue-Day rivers; Huong river; the Red river-Thai Binh river system’s basins embracing the mainstreams of Red river and Thai Binh river; Ma-Chu rivers; Ca-La rivers; Vu Gia-Thu Bon rivers; Ba river; the Dong Nai river system’s basins, embracing Sai Gon, Be, La Nga, Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers; and the main rivers of the Mekong River system, embracing Se San, Srepok, Tien and Hau river.

+ To continue maintaining the planning of 1 automatic and continuous water quality monitoring station in the basin of Ky Cung-Bang Giang rivers in order to assess the water quality in the areas receiving water flow into Vietnam from these rivers;

+ To continue maintaining 22 monitoring points at the hydrological monitoring stations.

b/ Surface quality monitoring frequency

For periodical monitoring activities, to step by step increase the monitoring frequency at the monitoring points, specifically as follows:

- For the 2023-2025 period: At least 10 times per year.

- For the 2026-2030: At least 12 times per year.

Based on resources of monitoring programs, it is encouraged to increase the periodical monitoring frequency at the surface water quality monitoring points included in the master plans in order to thicken the monitoring data sequence.

c/ Surface water quality monitoring parameters

- For automatic and continuous surface water quality monitoring stations: Surface water quality monitoring parameters include at least pH, COD (or TOC), TSS and DO. It is encouraged to expand monitoring for the parameters of total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN).

- For periodical surface water quality monitoring points: Surface water quality monitoring parameters include at least pH, COD (or TOC), BOD₅, TSS, DO, NH₄⁺, TP, TN, total coliforms, and heat-resistant coliforms. For water monitoring in reservoir/lake locations, chlorophyll will be added to surface water quality monitoring parameters.

d/ Integration of surface water sediment monitoring points into the 499 monitoring points of the surface water quality monitoring network: Based on the network of locations of surface water quality monitoring points, to select appropriate locations and parameters for surface water sediment monitoring with the frequency of at least 2 times per year.

Details of the master plan on the surface water quality monitoring network are provided in Appendix II to this Decision.

3. The river estuary water quality monitoring network:

a/ Locations of river estuary water quality monitoring points

To continue maintaining and expanding the river estuary water quality monitoring network at 76 monitoring points on the basis of continuing to maintain monitoring at 32 points already included in the previous master plans and build 44 new ones at river estuaries.

The monitoring form is periodical monitoring.

b/ Monitoring frequency

- For the 2021-2025 period: At least 8 times per year.

- For the 2026-2030: At least 12 times per year.

c/ Monitoring parameters include at least pH, TOC, TSS, DO, NH₄⁺, TP, TN, and total coliforms.

Details of the master plan on the river estuary water quality monitoring network are provided in Appendix III to this Decision.

4. The coastal seawater quality monitoring network:

a/ Locations of coastal seawater quality monitoring points

- To continue maintaining and expanding the coastal seawater quality monitoring network at 70 monitoring points on the basis of continuing to maintain monitoring at 43 existing points and build 27 new ones as planned for the 2021-2030 period.

- Regarding monitoring forms:

+ For automatic and continuous coastal seawater quality monitoring stations: To additionally plan 6 automatic and continuous coastal seawater quality monitoring stations currently in operation in the sea areas of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces;

+ For periodical surface water quality monitoring points: To carry out impact monitoring at 64 coastal monitoring points in the coastal provinces.

+ To continue carrying out coastal seawater monitoring at the 6 existing marine monitoring stations.

b/ Monitoring frequency

For periodical monitoring activities, to step by step increase the monitoring frequency at the monitoring points, specifically as follows:

- For the 2021-2025 period: At least 6 times per year.

- For the 2026-2030: At least 8 times per year.

c/ Monitoring parameters: Monitoring parameters include at least pH, DO, TSS, NH₄⁺, PO₄^3- , and mineral oil and grease.

d/ Integration of sea sediment monitoring points into the 70 monitoring points of the coastal seawater quality monitoring network: Based on the network of locations of seawater quality monitoring points, to select appropriate locations and parameters for sea sediment monitoring with the frequency of at least 2 times per year.

Details of the master plan on the coastal seawater quality monitoring network are provided in Appendix IV to this Decision.

5. The seawater quality monitoring network in onshore and offshore sea areas:

a/ Sea areas where monitoring is required: To carry out seawater monitoring in 39 priority areas, including:

- The Northern sea areas (Tonkin Gulf): the offshore sea areas close to Bach Long Vy island.

- The Central sea areas: the sea areas west of Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands.

- The sea areas of Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, including 20 islands/islets.

- The sea areas in the Southern continental shelf, including 14 oil rigs.

- The Southwestern sea areas, including one oil rig, and Tho Chu and Phu Quoc islands.

b/ Monitoring frequency

For the 2021-2030 period: At least 2 times per year.

c/ Monitoring parameters include at least pH, As, Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Hg, Cyanide (CN^-), and mineral oil and grease.

Details of the master plan on the water quality monitoring network in onshore and offshore sea areas are provided in Appendix V to this Decision.

6. The soil quality monitoring network:

The national program on soil quality monitoring shall be formulated and designed in detail in conformity with programs on soil environment quality survey and assessment in accordance with the Law on Environmental Protection.

7. The acid rain monitoring network:

To re-establish the acid rain monitoring network at 42 monitoring points on the basis of maintaining monitoring at 11 points already included in the previous master plans and build 31 new monitoring points planned for the 2021-2030 period. Such 42 monitoring points include 26 points at the existing surface meteorological monitoring stations and 16 automatic and continuous air quality monitoring stations currently under construction.

Monitoring frequency is based on actual rains or daily or weekly.

Monitoring parameters include at least temperature, pH, and EC.

Details of the master plan on the acid rain monitoring network are provided in Appendix VI to this Decision.

8. The biodiversity monitoring network:

To establish the network for monitoring of biodiversity in nature reserves nationwide which, after 2030, will be expanded to biodiversity corridors and high-biodiversity areas on the List to the National Master Plan on Biodiversity Conservation for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

a/ Locations of biodiversity monitoring points:

Locations of biodiversity monitoring points are in established nature reserves, biodiversity corridors and biodiversity areas.

The monitoring form is periodical monitoring.

b/ Biodiversity monitoring frequency: Once a year.

c/ Biodiversity monitoring indicators:

Biodiversity monitoring indicators are specified in the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 2067/QD-TTg of December 8, 2021, approving the Scheme on biodiversity inventory, monitoring and reporting, and development of the national biodiversity database through 2030, with a vision toward 2050.

Details of the master plan on the biodiversity monitoring network are provided in Appendix VII to this Decision.

9. The groundwater monitoring network:

a/ Monitoring locations:

Monitoring shall be carried out at 88 groundwater quality monitoring points/facilities based on the monitoring network under the master plan on basic survey of groundwater resources, including 60 existing facilities, 23 facilities planned to be built in the 2021-2030 period, and 5 facilities to be built after 2030.

b/ Monitoring frequency: At least 4 times per year.

c/ Monitoring parameters include at least pH, TDS, permanganate index, NH₄⁺, NO₃^- , Fe, and As.

Details of the master plan on the groundwater quality monitoring network are provided in Appendix VIII to this Decision.

10. Based on objectives of monitoring programs, it is encouraged to increase monitoring parameters and frequency in order to thicken the monitoring data sequence and better serve the state management of environmental protection and environmental quality warning and forecasting.

11. The network of monitoring units and development orientations:

To concentrate on investing in and upgrading the system of laboratories to be advanced and modern with sufficient capacity and resources for the implementation of national environmental monitoring programs. The list of monitoring units is provided in Appendix IX to this Decision.

V. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASTER PLAN

1. Major solutions to implement the Master Plan

a/ Policies, laws and consolidation of the organizational apparatus:

- To improve and promulgate environmental monitoring processes, norms and indicators in a synchronous manner to meet practical requirements of the field of environmental monitoring.

- To formulate policies to intensify the mobilization of social resources for the environmental monitoring work and investment in the building of the national environmental monitoring network.

- To formulate regulations on techno-economic norms for environmental monitoring activities in conformity with the socio-economic development situation.

- To review and additionally formulate standards providing guidance on technical methods for environmental monitoring activities.

- To consolidate the organizational apparatus and payrolls and improve functions and tasks of units of the environmental monitoring network for the implementation of the Master Plan.

b/ Intensifying scientific and technological research and application for environmental monitoring activities:

- To intensify the application of automatic monitoring technologies and equipment meeting technical requirements to be additionally supplied to the environmental monitoring network, thereby raising the capacity for processing and storing environmental monitoring data, in order to create a data application effect.

- To additionally furnish physical and technical facilities, field equipment, tools and technologies for biodiversity monitoring activities; to prioritize the use of geographical information system, remote-sensing maps and photos, trap cameras and bas traps, satellite positioning systems, etc., and implement new technological solutions in smart data reception, transmission and processing in order to optimize the transmission, exploitation and use of biodiversity monitoring data.

- To research and apply new monitoring technologies in the direction of using mobile monitoring equipment mounted on river and seal vessels for water quality monitoring.

- To intensify the use of satellite data to serve environmental monitoring and surveillance in conformity with natural and socio-economic conditions.

- To concentrate on researching, applying and utilizing information transmission technologies, technologies for processing and analyzing modern technologies in laboratories; artificial intelligence technology; technologies for storing, processing and exploiting information in large volumes, including also those for via-network information exploitation; to formulate a mechanism for coordination and exchange of environmental monitoring information and data among ministries, sectors and agencies, thereby facilitating the exploitation and use of environmental monitoring information and data to serve the task of environmental quality assessment; to apply technologies to better and better serve the exploitation of monitoring information and realize the people’s right to be provided with monitoring information.

- To prioritize solutions to synchronously connect and integrate environmental monitoring data in the entire system, thereby ensuring the optimal utilization of environmental monitoring data from the national- and provincial-level networks of environmental monitoring stations/points as well as environmental monitoring data of other sectors and fields; to promote and formulate a mechanism for synchronization of networks of monitoring stations/points built by organizations and individuals in the non-state sector.

c/ Intensifying investment and mobilization of financial resources:

- Investing in the building and installation of facilities and equipment: To mobilize to the utmost financial resources from all economic sectors for investment in modern physical and technical facilities, equipment and technologies for environmental monitoring activities.

- Maintaining monitoring operation: To allocate funds mainly from the state budget.

- Personnel training and experience and information sharing: To mobilize funding sources from international projects, projects on technical transfer/assistance from international and non-governmental organizations, and partly from the state budget for building of physical facilities of laboratories, environmental analysis centers and environmental monitoring training institutions.

- To further expand the network of automatic and continuous monitoring stations under the new master plan, ensuring the density of monitoring data transmitted to the national data network meeting the requirements on giving timely warnings about and forecasts of environmental quality changes.

- To allocate more financial resources for the environmental monitoring work, including periodical environmental monitoring activities and automatic and continuous environmental monitoring stations; to allocate more resources to monitoring units to increase the frequency and parameters of periodical environmental monitoring activities, thereby better reflecting the actual environmental quality. Automatic and continuous environmental quality monitoring stations should be added and concurrently ensure human and financial resources for maintaining the operation of those stations.

- To allocate funds for investment in the infrastructure network/software for connection and transmission/reception, processing and management of data.           

- To allocate funds for maintaining the information and data provision system.

- To allocate funds for maintaining the operation of the data management system (covering data updating and system repair and maintenance).

d/ Expanding international cooperation:

- To cooperate with international research institutions and monitoring networks in order to implement programs on exchange of monitoring experience, information and data up to international standards on performance of environmental analysis and contents relevant to the implementation of environmental monitoring master plans, for example, the Southeast Asian Acid Rain Monitoring Network, clean air networks, and cross-border (water, air) pollution monitoring programs.

- To intensify and prioritize the formulation and implementation of scientific research and international cooperation programs and projects in order to mobilize resources and learn experience for the biodiversity monitoring work.

- To continue expanding international cooperation in the fields of environmental monitoring technology research and improvement with experienced institutions in the region and advanced countries.

dd/ Improving training activities:

- To recruit and train or retrain at home and abroad monitoring and analysis officers in order to form the contingent of highly qualified monitoring and analysis officers and ensure the availability of successors.  

- To study and renovate programs on training of environmental monitoring officers in a selective manner, ensuring that trained monitoring officers are capable of carrying out different types of monitoring and some of them will be trained into technicians.   

- To intensify retraining to raise professional qualifications and skills for existing monitoring officers and technicians, focusing on improving the practicing capacity of monitoring officers to meet operation requirements of each monitoring station or point and the entire monitoring network.

- To periodically guide related localities and institutions in maintaining and raising capacity of environmental monitoring staffs through organizing workshops and conferences on thematic technical instructions, such as sharing of experience in implementing periodical monitoring programs, providing technical training in automatic monitoring and management of automatic and continuous monitoring data or training in new technologies for environmental monitoring and analysis.

2. Resources for implementation of the Master Plan

a/ Human resources:

- To make the best use of available human resources of local environmental monitoring centers (or units operating monitoring stations/points), and transfer/supplement human resources to/for new stations/points.

- To continue consolidating existing laboratories and step by step renovating analysis equipment and technology.

- To formulate and improve the set of environmental monitoring standards, technical regulations and techno-economic norms (from the taking, preservation, transportation, processing and analysis of samples of all kinds to serve the environmental monitoring network) for uniform application at all laboratories; to encourage and support laboratories in registering their satisfaction of relevant Vietnamese and international standards.

- To formulate, and organize the implementation of, training and capacity building plans and carry out examination/control of professional capacity/skills of monitoring officers under regulations.

- To exchange experience in researching new technologies related to environmental monitoring and surveillance.

b/ Funding sources:

Funding sources for the implementation of the Master Plan come from:

- The state budget: Funds for public investment and funds for non-business economic activities and non-business environmental protection activities. Funding sources for maintaining regular operation of the national environmental monitoring network must basically meet the needs of the state management of environmental protection as planned until 2050. 

- Lawful funding sources from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals for performance of basic surveys of water resources in the form of public-private partnership or other forms of mobilization ofsocial resources.

3. Priority programs and projects

The List of priority programs and tasks for the implementation of the Master Plan is provided in Appendix X to this Decision.

4. Assignment of tasks to implement the Master Plan

a/ The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall:

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related ministries/sectors in, organizing monitoring programs for implementing relevant contents of the Master Plan.

- Organize the building of automatic and continuous environmental monitoring stations under the Master Plan, ensuring their connectivity with local environmental monitoring stations.

- Formulate and submit for promulgation or promulgate according to its competence legal documents, processes, techno-economic norms and professional guidance on monitoring, transmission/reception, processing, management and provision of environmental monitoring information and data for uniform application nationwide; unify the monitoring database; and manage, integrate and provide environmental monitoring information.

- Provide environmental information and data to ministries, sectors, localities and units that need such information and data, and publicize such information and data for the improvement of the people’s intellectual standards, education and public communication.

- Examine the implementation of the Master Plan, periodically assess and coordinate with related agencies in reviewing the Master Plan and reporting results thereof to the Prime Minister for modification of the Master Plan when necessary.

- Based on the management reality, assume the prime responsibility for formulating, and organizing the implementation of, environmental monitoring programs in areas subject to special surveillance and thematic environmental monitoring programs in order to effectively serve environmental management activities.

- Annually report to the Prime Minister on the implementation of the Master Plan.

b/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and related ministries and sectors in, summarizing and submitting to the Government and Prime Minister medium-term and annual public investment plans for implementation of programs and projects approved by competent agencies in accordance with the public investment law, with a view to organizing the implementation of the Master Plan.

c/ The Ministry of Finance shall summarize proposals of ministries and central agencies and base on the state budget-balancing capacity before proposing competent authorities to allocate the central budget’s funds for recurrent expenditures for the performance of the Master Plan’s tasks.

d/ Related ministries and sectors shall:

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in unifying and improving standards, technical regulations and technical rules on monitoring, and methods of communicating environmental monitoring information and data applicable to monitoring stations and points under their management.

- Organize environmental monitoring activities mentioned in the Master Plan that are under their management and send environmental monitoring information and data to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

- For the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, organize the implementation of environmental monitoring programs to achieve management objectives of their sectors in accordance with the Law on Environmental Protection, and send information and data to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for inclusion in the environmental monitoring data system.

dd/ Provincial-level People’s Committees shall:

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in building and deploying the national environmental monitoring network.

- On the basis of the national environmental monitoring network, direct the building of their local environmental monitoring networks, ensuring their connectivity with the former.

- Report to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on environmental monitoring results at monitoring stations and points managed and operated by their localities.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing and replaces the environmental monitoring planning contents approved under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 90/QD-TTg of January 12, 2016, approving the Overall Master Plan on the National Natural Resources and Environment Monitoring Network for the 2016-2025 period, with a vision toward 2030.

Article 3. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment shall guide and organize the implementation of the contents of the Master Plan.

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
TRAN HONG HA

* The Appendices to this Decision are not translated.