Tightening oversight of environmental monitoring systems and strict penalties for violations

Many provinces and cities have asked relevant departments to strengthen review, inspection and supervision of automated wastewater and emissions monitoring systems to improve environmental management effectiveness and promptly detect and address violations.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, recent media reports have highlighted instances of interference and data manipulation in the automated monitoring systems of certain enterprises. In response, the ministry urged provincial People’s Committees to direct Departments of Agriculture and Environment, together with related agencies, to urgently implement measures to rectify shortcomings and enhance state environmental protection management.

Provincial responses and inspection requirements

Following the ministry’s request, several provinces—including Bac Ninh, Lang Son, Hai Phong and Cao Bang—have issued letters requiring relevant departments to continuously inspect and monitor automated monitoring systems for wastewater and emissions within their jurisdictions.

Bac Ninh: verification, calibration and data integrity controls

In Bac Ninh, the provincial People’s Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to work with the provincial Industrial Parks Authority, the provincial police and other units to verify the monitoring system’s accuracy using calibration standards that are still valid. The plan includes assessing the precision of automated monitoring systems, documenting all errors and handling cases in accordance with regulations.

Units are also required to conduct quality control and evaluate the relative accuracy (RA) of monitoring systems. Based on available resources, they should select several large facilities with high contamination risk for corroborative monitoring and cooperate with capable organizations to conduct independent evaluations.

If results fall outside permissible thresholds, the system should temporarily stop recognizing the data. Authorities also require comprehensive system adjustments in line with regulations, and any changes to calibration coefficients must be reported to the management for monitoring.

To identify abnormal behavior, units must inspect operation logs and device logs to detect abnormal changes. In cases involving deliberate interference to distort data, authorities must clarify adjustments to technical coefficients after testing and calibration.

Data reception, transmission and surveillance measures

The Department of Agriculture and Environment directly manages the highest administrative account. Data reception, transmission and management must be tightly controlled. Security measures to protect monitoring system integrity are to be strengthened, including sealing connection ports.

Authorities also require review of camera systems at monitoring sites to ensure at least one internal camera observes the controller for security purposes. Camera data must be stored for at least three months and transmitted to the Department of Agriculture and Environment for cross-checking when needed.

On-site checks and enforcement against bypassing or tampering

The provincial People’s Committee further requires on-site checks of discharge pipes and sampling lines. It calls for firm handling of violations such as sample dilution, interference with effluent flow, and installation of bypasses or pipelines not compliant with regulations.

When necessary, authorities will coordinate with independent testing and calibration bodies to check sensor heads and analyzers. They must ensure no deliberate technical interference occurs and prevent injecting inert gases or other substances into the analysis chamber to distort results.

Penalties and coordination with police

For deliberate cheating or data distortion, provincial authorities require strict penalties in accordance with law. If there are signs of criminal activity, authorities will forward relevant files to the police for investigation and handling.

Continuous operation and public security oversight

Automated monitoring stations are required to operate continuously, transmitting data 24/7 to the Department of Agriculture and Environment. Authorities also require prompt repair when malfunctions occur to ensure stable operation and maximize the effectiveness of investment.

The Public Security Department is tasked with leading and coordinating with related units to strengthen checks and surveillance, promptly detect and address violations in the management and operation of automated monitoring systems in the area.

Additional emphasis is placed on strengthening post-inspection checks and data control of environmental monitoring systems.