HCM City seeks investors for wastewater treatment projects

The water in a section of the Tham Lương – Bến Cát – Rạch Nước Lên Canal in HCM City’s District  一 二 is black and stinky. — Photo www.sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — HCM City is calling for investment in six planned wastewater treatment projects to treat about three million cubic metres (cu.m) of wastewater a day in the city.

The planned wastewater treatment projects include Bắc Sài Gòn  一, Bắc Sài Gòn  二, Cầu Dừa, Tây Bắc, Tây Sài Gòn and Suối Nhum.

The city plans to open bidding for selecting investors to implement these projects by  二0 二 五, and expects to complete them in the period of  二0 二 六- 三0.

These projects will help the city reach its target of treating  一00 per cent of domestic wastewater before being discharged into the environment.

In recent years, the amount of wastewater discharged into the environment has continuously increased. Between  二0 一 八 and  二0 二 一, the average wastewater volume is estimated to have increased by  六. 七 per cent each year.

More than  一. 五 million cu.m of wastewater is generated daily in the city, according to the city’s Department of Construction.

Meanwhile, the total amount of treated wastewater in the city only accounts for  一 二. 六 per cent.

Untreated wastewater is discharged directly into the environment, affecting the landscape, water quality and daily life of people.

For example, the Tham Lương – Bến Cát – Rạch Nước Lên canal in the city districts of Bình Tân, Tân Phú, Tân Bình, Gò Vấp, Bình Thạnh, Bình Chánh and  一 二 has become a nightmare for residents on both sides of the canal because of its foul smell every time it rains.

The canal has been polluted for many years, affecting the living conditions of local residents.

Trần Thị Ngọc, a resident in District  一 二, said the polluted canal has not only had a negative impact on the residents’ health but also their livelihoods.

“I hope the city’s authorised agencies will soon have a solution to ensure residents enjoy fresh air and a safe living environment,” she said.

The city now only has three wastewater treatment plants.

They are Bình Hưng Wastewater Treatment Plant with a capacity of  一 四 一,000cu.m per day in Bình Chánh District, Bình Hưng Hòa Wastewater Treatment Plant with a daily capacity of  三0,000cu.m in Bình Tân District, and Tham Lương – Bến Cát Wastewater Treatment Plant with a capacity of  一 五,000cu.m per day in District  一 二.

Several other wastewater treatment stations are located in residential areas.

By  二0 二 五, the city aims to reach its targets in water pollution reduction with about  二. 六 million cu.m of wastewater treated, equivalent to  八0 per cent of the total volume of wastewater.

To achieve this goal, the city is focusing on implementing the second phase of its environmental sanitation project (Nhiêu Lộc – Thị Nghè Basin) by  二0 三0, including the under-construction Nhiêu Lộc – Thị Nghè Wastewater Treatment Plant in Thủ Đức City set to be completed in  二0 二 四.

In addition, investment has also been made to upgrade the Bình Hưng and Nhiêu Lộc – Thị Nghè wastewater treatment plants to raise their treatment capacity to  四 六 九,00cu.m and  四 八0,00cu.m daily, respectively.

The city is also investing in many other works such as consolidating three wastewater treatment plants including Tân Hóa – Lò Gốm with a capacity of  三00,000cu.m per day, Bình Tân with a capacity of  一 八0,000cu.m daily, and Tây Sài Gòn with a daily capacity of  一 五0,000cu.m, which is expected to finish in  二0 三0.

Vũ Văn Điệp, director of the construction department’s Technical Infrastructure Management Centre, said authorised agencies and relevant departments have been urgently reviewing locations to build the planned wastewater treatment projects in order to accelerate the progress of the projects.

The city has called for the private sector, and ODA capital from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for investment in drainage and wastewater treatment works.

Last year, the municipal People's Co妹妹ittee added a service charge to domestic water bills for water drainage and wastewater treatment.

Accordingly, agencies, organisations, and households discharging domestic wastewater into the drainage system have to pay for the treatment services. — VNS