Environmental concerns over paper plant The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has asked the government to monitor the implementation of a USD1.2 billion Hong Kong-invested paper project in Hau Giang due to environmental concerns. The Hong Kong Lee&Man Paper Group invested plant is located near the Hau River and is scheduled to enter operation in August this year. The plant is the largest of its kind in Vietnam and is among the five biggest paper projects in the world. The project was approved in 2007, but delays meant work only began in 2015.   Lee & Man paper factory located near Song Hong River  The Lee & Man Group conducted an environmental impact assessment in 2007. According to the report, the factory will discharge around 28,500 tonnes of Sodium hydroxide into the Hau River every year. The plant would discharge 200-300 cubic metres in waste water compared to just 10-20 tonnes seen in more modern production lines. VASEP worried that the amount of Sodium hydroxide and discharged waste water will cause environmental pollution and effect fish and seafood breeding in the Mekong Delta region. VASEP general secretary Truong Dinh Hoe said that there should be a new environmental impact assessment based on the changing situation in the Mekong Delta due to the effect of global warming. Projects delayed for two years are required by Vietnamese law to resubmit an environmental impact assessment. However, this has yet to be done. Some days ago, a team of Hau Giang Province People's Committee led by Vice Chairman Trinh Xuan Thanh visited the plant to check the waste treatment facilities. However, the results have yet to be released. Speaking to reporters, plant general director Chung Wai Fu, said that the plant was focusing on the completion of its support facilities, including its waste water treatment system. After trial operation, his group would re-consider the environmental impact report for suitable revision.  Fu said the factory's operation would not affect the environment. NLD