There are many trade villages specialized in production of ceramics in provinces like Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Ha Noi, Binh Duong. Trade villages' ceramics production brings socio-economic profits, leading to the positive economic structure conversion. In recent years, the proportion of handicrafts value of total values of products in trade villages has increased 2-5 percent per year, revenue of ceramics is 4-6 percent per year, capita average income in ceramics trade villages has increased 7-10 percent per year. Ceramics production has provided many jobs to and raised living standard of inhabitants. Still, expanding production scale makes cultivating areas restricted and negative impact to community health due to decrease of the quality of living environment.
The environment at many trade villages making ceramics is declined greatly. At Bat Trang village, toxic gas discharges fluctuating about 10 - 15 tones per daytime and night. Concentration of SO2, CO, CO2, NOx and dust is 2 - 4 times higher than allowed standard. Natural surface water resources are polluted, the contents of BOD5 and COD increase twofold to threefold. Dissolved oxygen decrease threefold, coliform increases threefold to fivefold, total of dissolved solids twofold to fourfold higher, sediment twofold to fivefold. At Bat Trang village, around 42,000 cubic meters of solid waste is discharged, in which only 30 percent is reused (mainly coal residues), most of remaining waste is discharged into pond, lagoon, channel and banks of the Red River.
Measures to deal with and mitigate environmental pollution at those trade villages include socio-economic planning of trade villages, applying advanced technology, improving production lines and raising efficiency of environmental management.
