Coastal drainage overflowing into the sea during heavy rainfall at Mỹ Khê beach. — VNA/VNS Photo Quốc Dũng

Dark sewage has been pouring into the renowned Mỹ Khê beach in Sơn Trà District, Đà Nẵng, for several days, as a result of heavy rains on July 15, causing environmental pollution.

Đà Nẵng Party Secretary, Nguyễn Văn Quảng, inspected the current condition of the drainage system leading to the sea and some drains along the coast. He emphasised that the city's primary objective is to preserve Mỹ Khê Beach, ensuring it remains clean, safe, and free from pollution.

He pointed out that this incident will negatively impact the tourism industry, tarnishing the city's reputation in the eyes of tourists. Hence, immediate action must be taken to address the issue.

At present, the city has made investments in two systems for collecting and treating wastewater in the coastal area. However, practical implementation still faces several limitations, vietnamplus.vn reported.

Quảng requested the city People's Committee to urgently evaluate the current situation, difficulties, and issues related to wastewater treatment in the coastal drainage systems.

The city authorities must require all restaurants, hotels, and businesses along the coast to urgently connect their wastewater pipes to the city's new drainage system.

The Urban Environment Company and the Drainage and Wastewater Treatment Company must ensure the cleaning of the sewage system, minimise the accumulation of waste, and have a plan to handle high rainfall and overflowing wastewater into the sea.

The city's authorities at all levels should cooperate and develop urgent plans to minimise the situation of wastewater overflowing into the sea.

The city's Party Secretary said in the long term, the city needs to have a policy and plan to close all wastewater outlets into the sea.

It also needs to build a drainage system to collect all rainwater into the Hàn River and review and calculate the capacity of pumping stations to ensure water drainage during heavy rain.

According to the report from the city's Department of Construction, the city has built two wastewater collection pipeline systems in the eastern coastal area.

However, due to the rapid development of commercial and service activities in this area, an overload emerged since 2017, leading to wastewater regularly being discharged into the sea even during dry weather, causing environmental pollution.

Consequently, in 2018, the city made the decision to invest in a pilot project for a separated sewage discharge system for coastal tourism sites in the Mỹ An and Mỹ Khê areas of Sơn Trà Peninsula. This initiative was part of the sustainable development project for Đà Nẵng City, funded by the World Bank.

The construction of this new system was completed, and it became operational in January 2022.

With its operation, the wastewater from industrial and commercial establishments as well as households will be collected separately and transferred to the wastewater treatment station, while rainwater will be discharged through drainage outlets along the coast.

However, the new system has not been put into operation because dozens of households and businesses have not connected their wastewater drainage pipes to the city's system.

In the near future, the Department of Construction will collaborate with project management boards to research and propose solutions to ensure the landscape and environmental sanitation in the Mỹ Khê, Mỹ An areas. — VNS