The problem of severe environmental pollution in the basin of Da Nang’s Phu Loc River has been recurring over recent years, adversely affecting the health of the local residents as well as their daily lives.  Despite the many strong measures taken by relevant agencies, the problem has yet to be resolved effectively.

The source of the Phu Loc River is in Lien Chieu District’s Hoa Khanh Nam Ward, and it flows into Da Nang Bay beneath Nguyen Tat Thanh Street.  A large volume of untreated water from the B12, B18, B24, Yen The-Bac Son and Khe Can canals are discharged into the river.  No wastewater treatment systems have been built along these canals.  Meanwhile, the biological anaerobic treatment of wastewater has been applied at the city’s Phu Loc wastewater treatment plant, and there are thick deposits of mud laying at the river’s mouth with a strong odour nearby.  To make the problem worse, wastewater from adjacent residential areas and seafood markets have also been discharged into the river.  People who live nearby have been complaining about the serious pollution problem.

The polluted river