VietNamNet Bridge - A clip on Facebook showing dark waste water flowing into the My Khe sea near Da Nang has shocked the public. 

Dang Quang Vinh, head of the city’s environment sub-department, said along the My An–My Khe route, there are nine sewers discharging water into the sea. For the last 10 years, rainwater and waste water have been discharged through the same system.

The system includes a large well which collects both rainwater and waste water. In rainy season, when the volume of water is too big, the well and the sewer system get overloaded, and the water flows into the sea.

He said the rapid development of tourism facilities, plus the degradation of the treatment system have caused overloading.

Of the sewers, the My An sewer area was the one which Da Nang people and travelers complained about because of the high pollution level. This was the sewer in the clip posted on Facebook.

Da Nang City Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Xuan Anh visited the site to inspect the pollution in late March.

“The beach is beautiful, but it is seriously polluted. No one will dare swim in such pollution,” Anh said. He requested appropriate agencies to settle the pollution immediately.

The system includes a large well which collects both rainwater and waste water. In rainy season, when the volume of water is too big, the well and the sewer system get overloaded, and the water flows into the sea.

In April, Da Nang City Vice Mayor Nguyen Ngoc Tuan presided over a meeting discussing solutions to treat waste water into the sea. 

Three pumps have been installed at the well to disperse water. The city authorities have agreed to fund the purchase of another 11 pumps to treat the waste water and restrict the overflow.

To avoid the negative impact on landscapes and the tourism site, the city authorities have instructed to dam sand mounds outside the outlets to maintain waste water within the sewer areas in peak hours. 

To mitigate the bad odor, lime and deodorant chemicals will be sprayed above sewers every week.

However, as Vinh admitted, all these measures are temporary. He Said that some projects will be implemented in the area along the beach which will comprise items to treat waste water.

“There will be projects for sustainable development in the areas of My An and My Khe beaches with separate drainage systems for rainwater and waste water,” he said. 

“100 percent of the water flowing into the sea will be rainwater,” he explained.

There is still no waste water collection system for the area from Ho Xuan Huong street to Quang Nam. In the future, a large underground sewer system will be installed under the Truong Sa – Vo Nguyen Giap Road.

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