VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City local authorities are calling for the investment in the project to recycle sludge, which would not only help clean the environment, but also generate useful products.
Just some days ago did the public hear about the big amount of untreated sludge generated by the Binh Hung waste water treatment plant in HCM City. People had not been aware of the necessity to deal with domestic sludge until the day local newspapers reported that the sludge at the plant has been poisoning the lives of the 3000 households living nearby.
However, scientists have affirmed that the volume of sludge at Binh Hung is just a small part of the sludge generated every day in HCM City.
According to the HCM City Department for Natural Resources and the Environment, about 2800-3600 cubic meters of sludge is generated every day which has been classified into six groups – the sludge from dredging the water drainage system; from concentrated domestic waste water systems; from septic tanks; from concentrated waste water systems in industrial zones; from the waste water treatment stations at production workshops outside industrial zones; and the sludge from construction sites.
Also, the city also receives sludge from irregular sources, such as the sledge from dredging the Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe or Tan Hoa – Lo Gom canals, about 900 cubic meters per day.
At present, only the sludge from the canal and water drainage system dredging has been collected by the HCM City Water Drainage Company and the districts’ companies for public interest, which then carry away to the dumping grounds. Meanwhile, the sludge from septic tanks has been carried to the Hoa Binh solid waste treatment company in Binh Chanh district for treatment.
Le Tien Dung, Director of the company, said higher volumes of sludge have been carried to the factory for treatment after the city’s authorities took drastic measures to clear sludge. However, Dung said that the volumes prove to make nothing if compared with the total volume of 300 cubic meter of sludge generated per day.
Nguyen Van Phuoc, Deputy Director of the HCM City Department for Agriculture and Rural Development, has admitted that the treatment of sludge has been ineffective, which has led to the serious environment pollution.
Sludge treatment – a potential market
According to Phuoc, sludge is a kind of normal waste, with no heavy metal; therefore, it is suitable for recycling.
The sludge with high organic matter, such as the sludge from sewage dredging, from the waste water treatment plants of dairy factories or food processing factories could be recycled for compost. Meanwhile, the sledge with low organic matter could be recycled to be used as a kind of construction materials.
However, to date, the only thing done with the sludge is collecting for storing, while the sludge still cannot be recycled for useful products as expected.
In the solid waste treatment program, the city has reserved 40 hectares of land in Da Phuoc commune of Binh Chanh district for the project on building a station which receives, processes and treats sludge. The HCM City Water Drainage Company has been appointed as the investor of the project.
The project, once operational, will take the duty of treating all kinds of sludge to be carried from different places in the city. However, no further progress has been reported about the project.
Explaining this, the investor said it still cannot arrange capital for the project. The city’s authorities have instructed relevant agencies to help the company check the urban development program and push up the site clearance works to be sure that the construction could begin in the first quarter of 2013. The city’s authorities have threatened that if the company keeps the project suspended, the project would fall into the hands of other investors.
NLD
