Only two out of 16 HCM City-based industrial hubs have set up centralised waste water-treatment systems, according to the city Natural Resources and Environment Department Director, Dao Anh Kiet.
Being newly established a few years ago, most industrial hubs in the area have difficulties in attracting their investors to invest in infrastructures, including centralised waste water-treatment systems, Kiet said.
He added that the government also lacks incentive policies, which could help encourage investors to build centralised waste water-treatment systems.
According to the latest figures from the department, an estimated 1,450–1,850 tonnes of waste, including 250-350 tonnes of hazardous waste, from industrial production are discharged daily in the area, presenting immediate – and long-term risks to public health and the environment.
The growth rate of hazardous waste is increasing 10-12 per cent a year, with the department predicting the city will have an average of 400,000 tonnes of hazardous waste per year from 2015.
“The city has a total of 13 industrial and export processing zones which were established over 20 years ago. Although all of them set up centralised waste water-treatment systems, they are unable to treat the huge amount of waste discharged each day, so they need more investements”, Director of the HCM City Export Processing Zone Authority (Hepza) Vu Van Hoa said.
“The city currently has three industrial zones under going a second phase of construction for centralised waste water-treatment systems,” Hoa added.
Accordingly, industrial zones of Tan Phu Trung and Dong Nam, of Cu Chi District, and Hiep Phuoc, of Nha Be District will have treatment systems with a total capacity of 28,000 cubic meters a day after the second phase of construction is complete, a rise of 11,000 cubic meters a day compared with their capacity in first phase.
The HCM City-based Binh Hung Waste water Treatment Plant, with a capacity of over 140,000 cubic meters a day, is the only one collecting and treating waste water discharged from local households.
Whereas, there are about two million cubic meters of waste water discharged from local households in 13 districts each day.
As the result, centralised waste water-treatment systems in industrial hubs, zones, export processing zones have to cope with waste water discharged from local households although they are overloaded.
Le Thi Kim Oanh, Deputy Chief Inspector of the city Natural Resources and Environment Department, said the department would inspect a total of 36 companies licensed to transport and treat hazardous waste in the city from now until October 25th, aiming to check implementation of environmental protection regulations.