$9mn project approved to save Vietnam’s national scenic bay from wastewater

With a total investment of VND232 billion (over $8.95 million) from the provincial budget, the project is expected to be completed in 2028, the provincial administration's office said on Thursday.

It is aimed at addressing a problem that has concerned local residents and tourists for years, particularly along Pham Van Dong Street in Bac Nha Trang Ward, where untreated wastewater has flowed directly into the bay.

According to the Khanh Hoa Development Project Management Board, the project owner, rainwater in the area between the Hon Chong and Hon Mot discharge outlets will be redirected to the sea through the Ba Lang outlet in Bac Nha Trang Ward.

The Hon Chong, Doan Tran Nghiep, Dang Tat, Bac Son and Hon Mot discharge outlets will be closed.

The project will also protect the beach tourism area between the Hon Chong and Hon Mot outlets and the surrounding marine ecosystem, the project management board said.

Wastewater generated in the catchment area between the Hon Chong and Hon Mot outlets will be separated from rainwater, collected through newly built or upgraded separation wells and pumping stations, and sent to the northern Nha Trang wastewater treatment plant.

It will then be treated to meet environmental standards before being discharged, according to the project management board.

New pipelines and pumping facilities

At the Hon Mot outlet on Pham Van Dong Street, about 150 meters north of the Ba Lang-Duong Hien Quyen intersection, a pumping facility with a capacity of 50 cubic meters per hour will be built.

The existing Hon Mot outlet will be closed, while rainwater will be redirected to the Ba Lang outlet through a new 820-meter drainage pipeline with seven manholes connected to existing inlets on Pham Van Dong Street.

The Ba Lang outlet will also be upgraded and expanded.

The Dang Tat outlet on Pham Van Dong Street will likewise be closed, with rainwater redirected to Ba Lang through a new drainage pipeline, according to the project plan.

Meanwhile, all wastewater generated in the Vinh Truong fishing port discharge outlet area in Nam Nha Trang Ward and at the end of an alley off Dong Nai Street will be separated and collected for treatment at the southern Nha Trang wastewater treatment plant.

Rainwater will continue to flow through the existing drainage system to the QN3 outlet on the Quan Truong River.

At the Quan Truong River outlet near the intersection of Vo Van Kiet Street (Ring Road No. 2) and Street No. 7 in Ha Quang 2 urban area in Nam Nha Trang Ward, a reinforced-concrete separation well and related facilities will be built.

A new 300-meter HDPE DN300 gravity sewer will connect the separation well to manhole QT7 on the D1200 wastewater drainage pipeline along Thich Quang Duc Street, carrying the wastewater to the southern Nha Trang wastewater treatment plant.

Aiming to end direct wastewater discharge into the sea

Nguyen Thanh Hien, director of the provincial Development Project Management Board, said the project would renovate and upgrade the wastewater collection system and gradually complete the existing combined drainage system in Bac Nha Trang and Nam Nha Trang Wards.

The project will minimize domestic wastewater discharged directly into rivers, canals and the bay, helping reduce environmental pollution and impacts on the area's tourism landscape while protecting marine and river ecosystems in Nha Trang.

It will gradually separate, collect and transfer domestic wastewater that currently flows directly into the sea and rivers through the combined drainage system in Bac Nha Trang and Nam Nha Trang wards.

The wastewater will then be sent to the northern and southern Nha Trang wastewater treatment plants in line with urban drainage and wastewater treatment planning, contributing to the completion of the city's technical infrastructure under approved plans, Hien said.

Regarding the project, Le Huyen, deputy chairman of the Khanh Hoa administration, instructed the Development Project Management Board to urgently coordinate with relevant agencies to prepare a feasibility study report for the construction project.

During implementation, the project owner must fully incorporate specialized appraisal comments and optimize technical solutions to minimize adjustments to the project's total investment, Huyen said