HCM CITY — All 21 polluting factories in Đông Hưng Thuận Ward in HCM City’s District 12 will be relocated or switch to other businesses before the end of the year, according to the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Of them, 16 will move to the Lê Minh Xuân Industrial Park No 3 in Bình Chánh District, two will themselves find places to relocate and the remaining three will switch to other businesses.

Residential Area No 4 and 5, where the 21 factories are situated, are the city’s two hotspots of pollution caused mainly by textile and dyeing, paper, and package production plants.

The production establishments use outdated technologies and infrastructure and affect the neighbourhood with their noise, wastewater and fumes.

The department in co-operation with the District 12 People’s Committee has set up a team to help the 21 plants with the task.

It has also worked with other relevant departments to draft preferential policies with respect to loans and interest rates to smoothe the task of relocation.

Of the 16 that will move to the industrial park, 14 have contacted the department’s Environment Protection Fund to get soft loans.

The department has petitioned the city People’s Committee to quickly issue land-use documents for those of the 21 that have yet to get them. Land-use rights certificates will help them raise money by selling or mortgaging their lands.

Seven of the 16 that will move to the IP have received them. — VNS