The new national technical standard on industrial wastewater: QCVN 40:2025/BTNMT
- frankpogade
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
There is some interesting news from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Resources and Environment (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment):
As from September 1, 2025, all industrial facilities discharging industrial wastewater will be required to ensure that pollution parameters remain within the permissible limits set by the newly issued national technical standard on industrial wastewater—QCVN 40:2025/BTNMT.
The new regulation has been issued under Circular No.06/2025/TT-BTNMT, dated February 28, 2025, of the Ministry of National Resources and Environment (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment)
The regulation defines the permissible pollution parameters for industrial wastewater discharged into receiving water bodies.
This unified framework replaces 12 previous technical regulations across various business sectors, aiming to enhance the efficiency of supervision and enforcement. Local water authorities will also have greater flexibility in adjusting effluent limits based on actual local conditions.
Notably, key parameters such as COD/TOC, BOD, and TSS are now tied to wastewater discharge volumes, potentially reducing financial burdens for smaller companies. This is a noteworthy change, long advocated by wastewater experts. However, whether the variations between the two discharge volume cases are substantial enough to have a meanigful impact remains to be seen.
Appendix 2 is particularly important, as it sets specific parameter limits for different types of production, business, and services. The environmental license, informed by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s (DoNRE) evaluation, will determine the applicable pollution parameters.
The regulation applies to state agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in industrial wastewater discharge, providing a clearer framework for compliance and accountability in wastewater management.
Facilities already in operation, as well as investment projects that received approval for their Environmental Impact Assessment report, environmental permit, or environmental registration before September 1, 2025, may continue following the existing national technical regulations on wastewater until December 31, 2031. This includes adherence to local technical standards based on the specific type of production, business, or service.
For members of the water:hub South-East Asia, we have prepared an English version of the standard, as attached.
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