(Mr Nulinh Sinbandith (right) and Director General of the Environment Department Mrs Viengsavanh Douangsavanh co-chair the meeting at the International Cooperation Training Centre yesterday.)

Some 200 representatives of environmental groups nationwide gathered in Vientiane yesterday to discuss and share ideas as the country prepares its new national environment standards.

Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Head of the Water Resources and Environment Administration, Mr Nulinh Sinbandith, opened the meeting yesterday.

He said Laos’s standards would be based on present regulations, new information gathered in-country and by comparing notes with other nations and international organisations.

“As we know, human life is closely linked to the environment, to nature.

That cannot be avoided. So, human life is put at risk by any negative impact on the environment. “Maintaining the health

of humans, animals, crops and the ecology means we must avoid damage from the chemical pollution of air, water and food,” he said.

Every country in the world had to determine principles and methods for supplying basic information to protect the health of humans and the ecology from pollution, be it soil, water, air or noise.

“Now, the economy of our country is growing fast, which is a factor in the elimination of  least-developed country status by 2020.

“The investment in development projects is also increasing day by day, and these will have both positive and negative impacts on the environment and society,” he said.

He said development could exist alongside the protection of natural resources and the environment.

To ensure this it was necessary to have standards and regulations to use as parameters, and to regulate materials, chemicals and other substances in order to protect the environment from major impact.

The Water Resources and Environment Administration monitors environmental conditions in order to ensure socio-economic development remains compatible with the goals of protecting the environment, pollution reduction, and the overall effective use of natural resources.