HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Newenvironmental protection fees are expected to reduce the volume of industrialwastewater in Ho Chi Minh City, while higher parking fees on city centrestreets will curb traffic congestion, according to the city’s TransportDepartment.

The city expects to collectseveral million USD through the new fees, the department said.

The calculation method now beingused for assessing environmental protection fees does not correspond with thevolume of discharged industrial wastewater, according to the department.

Beginning on July 1, the city’sDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment will apply a new method tocalculate fees for industrial wastewater discharge.

Last year, the city collected atotal of 8 billion VND (350,000 USD) from environmental protection fees.However, with the new calculation method, the city is expected to collect 60billion VND (2.7 million USD).

The city will collect a fixed feeof 1.5 million VND (70 USD) per year from companies that discharge under five cubicmetres of industrial wastewater per day.

For companies that discharge morethan five cubic metres, the fee will be 1.5 million VND plus K coefficient(wastewater flow). The fee will be proportional to the pollutant content foundin wastewater.

The fees also apply to healthcareestablishments, which discharge about 22,260 cubic metres of medical waste perday, while solid waste treatment establishments discharge 7,880cu.m per day,according to the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

From August 1, HCM City will alsoraise parking fees for automobiles that park on 35 streets in the centre of thecity.

The aim is to restrict the numberof private vehicles and encourage use of public transport, according to theTransport Department.

The city estimates it can collect31 billion VND (1.4 million USD) a month from the new parking fees.

The new parking fee will becalculated by the hour. Vehicles are currently charged a maximum of 5,000 VND.

Under the new method, there willbe two kinds of fees, depending on vehicle types.

The first is for automobiles withup to nine seats and trucks weighing up to 1.5 tonnes; the second is forautomobiles with 10 -16 seats and trucks weighing between 1.5 tonnes and 2.5tonnes.

The parking fee for the firstgroup will be 20,000-25,000 VND per hour for the first and second hour; 25,000-30,000VND for the third and fourth hour; and 30,000-35,000 VND from the fifth houronwards. The fees for parking overnight will be 120,000-150,000 VND.

For the second group ofvehicles, the fee will be 25,000-30,000 VND per hour for the first and secondhour; 30,000-35,000 VND for the next two hours; and 35,000-40,000 VND from thefifth hour onwards. Overnight parking will cost 150,000-180,000 VND.

Parking software apps onsmartphones can be used by residents to pay the new parking fees.

Ngo Hai Duong, head of the city’sTransport Department’s land transport infrastructure use and management, saidthe parking software app will be operated by the Viettel Group.

Local residents can look for andbook parking spots on a map available on the parking app.

"The app will also allow thecity to better manage parking sites and hire parking employees," Duongsaid.-VNS/VNA