Tauw supervises POPs pesticides projects in Vietnam

In Vietnam it is estimated that more than 3,000 locations are contaminated with POPs. As a party to the Stockholm Convention, Vietnam has drawn up a National Implementation Plan (NIP) containing a work plan for the elimination of the human and ecological risks caused by these contaminated locations. The Global Environmental Fund (GEF) supports Vietnam by making funds available for the execution of projects as part of the implementation of the NIP. The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) for Vietnam is the organisation responsible for managing and spending these funds. The implementing organisation is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE).

Review: first project in 2010

In September 2010 Tauw landed the first UNDP POPs pesticides project in Vietnam. This was a brief mission to prepare a detailed programme for the UNDP. This programme has the following three components:

1. Improving the capacity of various local authorities involved in the implementation of the NIP in relation to the elimination of old stockpiles of POPs pesticides and the remediation of contaminated sites

2. Remedying five sites contaminated with POPs pesticides, including the destruction of 1,140 tonnes of POPs pesticides

3. Improving enforcement of the ban on imports and the use of illegal POPs pesticides

Second project

After a successful tender procedure, Tauw signed a second contract with the UNDP in August 2011. This is the follow-up project ‘Consultancy Services of building capacity to eliminate POPs pesticides stockpiles in Vietnam’. The objective of this project is to support MONRE in the implementation of the first two project components mentioned above. This project started in October 2011 and will be concluded in November 2014.

Third assignment

Since October 2013 Tauw’s Project Manager Boudewijn Fokke has strengthened the Vietnamese MONRE’s POPs pesticides project team as Visiting Senior Technical Expert. This third assignment consists of five missions of 22 days each. This project will also be concluded in November 2014.

Project team Vietnam

The Tauw staff involved include Berto Collet, Matthijs Bouwknegt, Guido van de Coterlet and Boudewijn Fokke. The Vietnamese project team consists of two local technical consultants, the project leader, a financial assistant and two secretaries. The project’s working language is English and the project documents are translated into Vietnamese. The project office is located in a suburb of Hanoi. The project locations are mostly in the centre of Vietnam and the field work involves a lot of travelling.

Activities

Tauw has organised various training courses. Ten contaminated sites have been investigated. Post-remediation soil values have been developed and a manual is being written for investigating and remedying sites contaminated with POPs pesticides. Furthermore, legal advice has been given with regard to the execution of soil remediation projects. In addition, Tauw supervises various soil remediation projects.
Boudewijn Fokke is also a member of a UNDP assessment panel which assesses the international and national tenders for, among other things, the destruction of the 1,140 tonnes of POPs pesticides and various soil remediation projects.

POPS pesticides

Until the end of the 1970s large amounts of POPs pesticides were used throughout the world as pesticides in agriculture. This led to the build-up of large amounts of POPs pesticides, which have not always been properly treated and stored. This has created a significant threat to the environment and human health.

Tauw is operating globally in identifying POPs pesticides and remedying sites contaminated with POPs pesticides. Together with (local) authorities, we work on safe storage and destruction of these toxic substances and remedying contaminated sites. In addition, we provide training courses to governments (capacity building) as part of the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on POPs.