Da Nang has launched an investment program for small-scale, scattered wastewater treatment plants in new resettlement areas, residential areas, and new urban areas in Hoa Vang Suburban District.

A small-scale wastewater treatment plant has been built at the resettlement area in Hoi Phuoc Village, Hoa Phu Commune, Hoa Vang district. Photo: HOANG HIEP

In 2023, some residents in Hoa Phu commune, Hoa Vang District, were surprised to see a newly- constructed small-scale wastewater treatment plant at their resettlement area in Hoi Phuoc Village, located along the western beltway of the city.

In addition, each residential land lot in this area is installed with a domestic wastewater collection pipeline and a wastewater connection point.

With the availability of asphalt concrete roads, electricity and clean water, rainwater collection and drainage systems, and the new wastewater collection and treatment systems, this resettlement area is the first of its kind in Hoa Vang District that meets urban standards in order to develop the district into a town as soon as possible. Wastewater from households in this resettlement area which is situated just 500 meters from the Tuy Loan River is collected and treated in accordance with the city’s environmental regulations before it is released into a river in an attempt to protect the river from water pollution.

Additionally, the special feature of the wastewater treatment plant located in the resettlement area is most of the treatment tank covered with concrete to contain odors and prevent rainwater infiltration, ensuring structural safety and effective operation of this plant.

Mr. Nguyen Van Buu, the Chairman of the Hoa Phu Commune People’s Committee, shared: "Till date, three households have built their homes in the Hoi Phuoc Village’s resettlement area, the availability of the wastewater treatment plant will ensure a safe and healthy environment for local residents."

Amid the construction of the western beltway leading to Hoa Khuong commune being underway, a small-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is under construction in an resettlement area. The WWTP is being built by Seen Technical Joint Stock Company that has executed major WWTP projects across such urban areas in Da Nang as Phu Loc, Son Tra, and Ngu Hanh Son, with advanced technology applications.

Mr Pham Van Thuan, a representative of Seen Technical Joint Stock Company shared, "Although the WWTP built in the Hoa Khuong resettlement area is small-scale, we've applied the best suitable technology, ensuring that the project design documentation and the environmental impact assessment report have been approved by the relevant authorities. The quality of the treated water is set to meet the same standards as the dedicated WWTPs operating in Da Nang’s inner city."

Scattered residential areas in Hoa Vang District are caused by the fragmented nature of the terrain so that the district faces significant challenges in building wastewater collection and treatment plants in these areas.

While the urban areas of Da Nang are now operating six major dedicated WWTPs with a total capacity of 340,500 cubic meters per day, Hoa Vang District finds appropriately scaled, decentralized WWTPs serving one or several residential areas. This approach is considered the right investment direction when deploying new residential and urban development projects in the district.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Huy, the Director of the Da Nang Management Board of Traffic Work Construction Investment Projects, building small-scale WWTPs is added to the development of new residential areas in Hoa Vang District, with projects already planned for the communes of Hoa Bac, Hoa Khuong, Hoa Phu and more.

In the current pace of developing investment procedures for the Resettlement Area No. 1, dedicated to the displacement caused by the construction of the Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan section of the eastern North - South Expressway, local authorities are advocating for a dedicated drainage system. This system will ensure the collection of all wastewater from this resettlement area while the development of wastewater treatment facilities will serve several closely situated resettlement areas. Accordingly, wastewater from households and commercial services must be initially processed through septic tanks or treated to meet the required standards via underground connection pipes before it is discharged into the public sewage system.

The proposed wastewater treatment plant will have a capacity of 714 cubic meters a day, incorporating a complex treatment process consisting of trash removal, sand settling, equalization, anoxic treatment, aerobic biological treatment, settling, intermediate treatments, pressure filtration, and disinfection to ensure treated wastewater meets the 'A standard' quality before it is released into the public rainwater drainage system and then into the Tuy Loan River.

An automatic monitoring station will be set up at the WWTPs, with data sent to the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment for monitoring and controlling treated wastewater quality. In addition, a minimum safety zone of 10 meters will be ensured for greenery around the station. Moreover, the WWTP construction area allows potential expansion to increase capacity and accommodate future neighboring areas' wastewater treatment needs.

As identified in the Da Nang Master Plan for the 2021–2030 period, with a vision to 2050 which has been approved by the Prime Minister, the total capacity of WWTPs is set to reach 515,000 cubic meters per day by 2030. This expansion includes the construction of a new WWTP in Hoa Nhon Commune and several scattered, localized WWTPs in the southwestern parts of the city. New urban areas are planned to utilize completely separate drainage systems. For the time being, the wastewater generated in the Hoa Vang District is to be collected and treated in a scattered manner.

Reported by HOANG HIEP – Translated by THAO TRANG