Helping Handicraft Villages Cleanup - An Assessment of Pollution Control Options in Vietnam

Processing agricultural products is of the most important 'handicraft' activities in Vietnam's Red River Delta. It provides jobs, improves household incomes and helps alleviate poverty. However, it also generates a huge amount of waste and is a source of serious pollution. This study analysed the environmental consequences of agro-product processing in the area and assessed the cost-effectiveness of pollution control options. This study looks at a village where most of the households are engaged in cassava starch processing. It finds that this activity is a significant source of pollution, which is seriously affecting the health of local rivers and local people. The study recommends that a wastewater treatment plant for the whole village is set up and that wastewater fees are collected from households engaged in agro-processing activities. It also recommends that the sewerage system in the village be improved, that households are involved in environmental clean-up work and that steps are taken to encourage cleaner production technologies in the agro-product processing industry.