Wastewater treatment plant in Vietnam’s Gia Lai left idle as sewage continues to flow into sea

On Monday, the economic – infrastructure and urban unit of Quy Nhon Dong Ward reported that the ward has requested Binh Dinh Environment JSC to temporarily operate the Nhon Ly Wastewater Treatment Plant to reduce the discharge of untreated domestic wastewater into the beach.

For a long time, wastewater from local households in this area has been freely discharged into Nhon Ly Beach without any collection or treatment system in place.

This has caused serious environmental pollution, affecting both the beach and the seawater, and has significantly impacted local tourism.

Although the Nhon Ly Wastewater Treatment Plant has been fully constructed and equipped, it has yet to begin collecting or treating wastewater.

As a result, domestic sewage from the nearby residential areas continues to flow untreated directly into the beach, forming a stream of foul-smelling wastewater right at the foot of the plant.

According to Nguyen Thanh Danh, vice-chairman of the People’s Committee of Quy Nhon Dong Ward, the treatment plant construction was funded by the former Quy Nhon City project management board for investment and land development.

The plant was completed in December 2024 at a total cost of VND5.9 billion.

It was designed to treat domestic wastewater for 630 households in Ly Hung and Ly Luong Hamlets.

During construction, the investor added 15 wastewater collection points to direct more flow into the plant, causing the inflow to exceed the plant's design capacity.

Furthermore, no budget was allocated for temporary operations, leading to most of the wastewater continuing to flow untreated into the environment.

As of July 2025, the provincial government assigned the ward as the new project owner.

In the meantime, to address the ongoing pollution, the ward has reached out to Binh Dinh Environment JSC to temporarily operate the plant for six months. 

The goal is to handle the daily wastewater and determine the exact volume exceeding the plant’s design capacity in order to propose appropriate long-term solutions.

The economic – infrastructure and urban unit of Quy Nhon Dong Ward stated that the Nhon Ly Wastewater Treatment Plant was originally designed to treat 100 cubic meters of wastewater per day and night. 

However, actual wastewater volume has at times reached up to 300 cubic meters per day.

In case of excessive wastewater volume, a portion will be redirected to the nearby Suoi Ke Wastewater Treatment Plant.

If the volume remains moderately above the original design, authorities may propose upgrading the Nhon Ly Wastewater Treatment Plant's treatment capacity.