Khanh Hoa People's Committee and the World Bank jointly held a seminar on necessity of sewerage systems accompanied with household connection and pipe network...
Khanh Hoa People’s Committee and the World Bank (WB) jointly held a seminar on necessity of sewerage systems accompanied with household connection and pipe network on November 13. Present at the event were Le Huu Hoang, Vice-Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee; Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam; representatives of the Ministry of Construction, Vietnam Water Supply & Sewerage Association and some cities and provinces.
More investment needed
According to the leader of Khanh Hoa Development Project Management Board, the system of sewerage and waste water collection and treatment in Nha Trang City has been improved thanks to ODA and preferential loans from the World Bank through 2 projects named Coastal Cities Environmental Sanitation Project (CCESP), Nha Trang Sub-Project implemented in the period 2014 – 2017; and the Coastal Cities Sustainable Environment Project (CCSEP), Nha Trang City sub-project (period 2017-2022). In addition, other financing is from the State budget and private funding in new urban areas.
 WB mission checks household connection in the bidding NT1.1 on Le Hong Phong Street.
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The WB’s ODA and partly the State Budget has invested in some 72.223km of culverts, 6 pumping stations, 10 combined sewer overflows, 2,400 manhole odor eliminators and 1 waste water treatment plant in the southern with a capacity of 40,000m3/ day and night. 119km of culverts, 5 pumping stations, 6 combined sewer overflows, 6,500 manhole odor eliminators and 1 waste water treatment plant in the north with a capacity of 15,000m3/day and night are being invested in.
According to Le Tien Vinh, Chief of Nha Trang City Urban Management Office, when the northern wastewater treatment plant is put into operation; and the capacity of the southern wastewater treatment plant is raised to 60,000m3, the wastewater treatment is expected to meet 81% of the city's demand. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in waste water treatment for the western area of the city.
At the seminar, Chau Ngo Anh Nhan, Director of the Provincial Development Project Management Board said that at present, the fee collection is implemented in 19 communes and wards in Nha Trang City. For households that do not use tap water pay, the fee is calculated based on groundwater flowmeters or discharge flow meters at construction works. Environmental protection fee is applied in suburban areas.
The results show that the drainage network has improved with synchronous and stable management as well as investment efficiency. With proper waste water service fee increase roadmap, more than 100% of the operation costs have been recovered, continuing to maintain the sustainability of the system. However, in the coming time, local authorities need to continue evaluating and improving the roadmap for increasing wastewater charges to adapt to treatment capacity, fluctuations of market prices, and maintenance cost as well as amendment in general policies.
Private sector participation encouraged
Many new urban areas have come into being in Nha Trang City in recent years. In the urban areas, investors have invested synchronously in drainage infrastructures with separate wastewater collection systems according to approved planning. Once completed, these systems will be connected to the city's system. The construction investment has contributed to improving the sewerage network to support sustainable urban development.
According to Khanh Hoa Development Project Management Board, with the private sector participation, facilities formed during the implementation of projects are in good maintenance and treatment plants are in good operation and management. However, the mechanism of inspection, supervision and acceptance for the private sector participation in new urban areas is required to ensure that the investment is in accordance with the approved planning, design and standards for drainage and wastewater systems. The handover of drainage systems in urban areas when completed together with the bidding for drainage and sewerage services should be held soon for effective management and operation. A mechanism to monitor service quality is also needed with broad community participation.
Roadmaps to increase revenue and achieve cost recovery of the wastewater systems of projects in Nha Trang City have been prepared. For sustainable urban development, it is necessary to invest more in infrastructures accompanied with effective management and public-private partnerships in infrastructures operation and maintenance, according to Carolyn Turk.
Since 2014, constructions in the environmental sanitation projects in coastal cities have been put under local management, operation and maintenance; minimizing urban inundation and environmental pollution from wastewater and garbage. The current wastewater collected and brought to the southern treatment plant is about 30,000m3/day and it is thoroughly treated meeting discharge standards. Through presentations at the seminar, the city government has gained more practical information and experience, with valuable lessons to develop appropriate financing policies and mechanisms to encourage the private sector participation in the drainage and waste water treatment projects, reducing burden on the provincial State budget, according to Le Huu Hoang, Vice-Chairman of Provincial People's Committee.
Van Ky
Translated by N.T
