WATER & WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT FOR THE RESORTS IN VIETNAM
Poor project design pollutes world-famous beach
My Khe Beach in Son Tra District, called China Beach by US servicemen during the war and renowned for its white sand beach and enchanting scenery, is being polluted by garbage and waste water which is flowing directly out to sea.
“This is the most beautiful and nearest beach to the city and I used to go there every summer,” said a local resident, Le Phi Hai.
“But I can’t swim there anymore because of the polluted water.”
The pollution has also angered My Khe Beach restaurant owner Le Thi Hue.
“I invested billions of dong to open a restaurant there,” she said.
“But no tourists come here anymore because of the pervasive smell.
Even my family members have to go elsewhere during the daytime to escape the smell.”
A recent inspection by local authorities found the waste processing system at the area did not meet environmental guidelines and was not treating the water effectively.
“They constructed the waste water pumping stations right at the edge of the sea instead of the minimum required distance of two kilometers,” Da Nang-based architect Pham Phu Binh said.
“They even pour the waste water directly into the sea.”
In an effort to save the beach, Da Nang People’s Committee has instructed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to evaluate the pollution and suggest an immediate solution.
It is estimated it will cost billions of dong to modify the plant, according to project consultant, Da Nang Consultancy Design and Construction Company.
The waste water drainage system in My Khe is part of the city’s water drainage and environment sanitation project, carried out between 2002 and 2006.
The US$41 million project, funded by World Bank loans, was expected to meet European standards of waste water treatment.
