Son La: “The chairperson of the People's Committee at the commune level shall be responsible before the law and before the Chairperson of the Provincial People's Committee in the event of environmenta

The Department also requests the People’s Committees of the wards and communes of Chiềng Cơi, Chiềng Sinh, Chiềng Mai, and Chiềng Mung to continue fully implementing the tasks and environmental protection measures for agricultural product processing activities as directed by the Chairperson of the Provincial People’s Committee in Section 6 of Official Letter No. 1179/UBND-KT dated 21 March 2025; to direct specialized departments to coordinate with commune-level police forces to conduct a comprehensive review and inspection of all preliminary coffee processing and processing activities in their respective areas; and to resolutely suspend production activities and impose sanctions on facilities that lack legal environmental protection documentation as required or do not have collection, storage, and treatment systems or measures for waste (wastewater, coffee husks) appropriate to their scale and capacity, ensuring treatment meets technical environmental standards. For facilities that meet operational conditions, regular and continuous inspections and monitoring shall be conducted on all production activities (scale, capacity, operating hours, etc.) and the effectiveness of waste collection, storage, and treatment systems. In cases where storage ponds no longer have the capacity to collect and store wastewater, production and processing of fresh coffee must be immediately suspended. In all cases, it is strictly prohibited to discharge untreated wastewater into the environment, causing pollution. The chairperson of the commune-level People’s Committee shall be responsible before the law and before the Chairperson of the Provincial People’s Committee in the event of environmental or water source pollution caused by coffee processing facilities that fail to meet environmental protection requirements.

 

In the event of pollution, emergency response measures must be promptly implemented to remedy the pollution, restore the environment, and address the incident. Where organizations or individuals responsible for causing environmental pollution and damage are identified, they must be required to fulfill their compensation responsibilities, cover all costs of damage assessment, and follow legal procedures for compensation claims. Continuous monitoring and assessment of the environmental status (surface water, groundwater, etc.) and the intended uses of streams flowing through the area (domestic use, agricultural irrigation) must be conducted. Based on this, solutions must be developed to remedy pollution and restore the environment to ensure water meets its designated purposes. Where necessary, alternative water sources must be secured to meet community needs. If water quality assessment is required, proactively contact the Department of Agriculture and Environment or the Center for Water and Environmental Monitoring for support in implementation. Public awareness campaigns, guidance, and warnings must be provided to households and individuals regarding the use of stream water for agricultural and aquaculture purposes; in cases where water shows signs of pollution, it must absolutely not be diverted into aquaculture ponds. For fish ponds already showing signs of pollution leading to fish deaths, guide owners to implement sanitation, disinfection, dredging, or water filtration measures to enable continued use for aquaculture.

 

The official letter also states: Sơn La Water Supply Joint Stock Company (the domestic water supply unit) must enhance monitoring and evaluation of source water quality for urban domestic water supply in Chiềng Sinh ward and adjacent communes (Km 13 well, Tổ 7 well in Chiềng Sinh ward, Nà Sản water station, etc.); promptly implement response procedures and plans, and ensure readiness of remedial conditions in case of source water pollution incidents to guarantee water security for domestic use; develop plans to exploit alternative water sources (or supplement water supply) in case of pollution incidents affecting currently exploited domestic water sources; and accelerate the completion of legal procedures and investment to construct and operationalize the Chiềng Dong Water Plant to supply domestic water to adjacent wards and communes, ensuring residents’ water needs.

 

For large-scale coffee processing facilities in the province: During production, fully comply with environmental protection requirements as stipulated in the approved environmental impact assessment report, wastewater discharge permit, and environmental permit issued by competent authorities; operate wastewater and emissions treatment systems to ensure treatment meets technical environmental standards before discharge into the environment; under no circumstances discharge untreated waste causing environmental pollution; organize the collection of all runoff rainwater, domestic waste, and ordinary industrial solid waste generated from production activities in accordance with procedures; and enhance the purchase and processing of fresh coffee within the plant’s designed capacity to help absorb the fresh coffee output of households and individuals throughout the province.