This was heard at the program ‘People Ask - The Government Answers’ in April 2024 with the theme ‘Management of water supply and domestic wastewater management’ jointly organized by the municipal People's Council, the Department of Information and Communications and the Ho Chi Minh City Television. The program was seen in the presence of Vice Chairman of the city People's Council Pham Thanh Kien.
At the program, in response to voters' opinions on the issue of domestic wastewater treatment, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction Dang Phu Thanh said that the city is building the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe wastewater treatment plant with a design capacity of 480,000 cubic meters a day and night, expected to be completed in June 2025.
After it is completed, the project will increase urban domestic wastewater treatment capacity to more than 1.1 million cubic meters a day and night helping treat 71 percent of urban domestic wastewater before discharge into the environment.
Nguyen Viet Vu, Head of the Department of Water, Mineral and Island Resources Management under the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said that currently the city's total urban wastewater treatment capacity is 644,000 cubic meters a day, or only equivalent to 40 percent of daily wastewater volume.
Thus, 60 percent of domestic wastewater remains untreated, leading to risks of affecting the environment. The Resolution of the 11th Ho Chi Minh City Party Congress set a target that by 2025, the amount of domestic wastewater treated before being discharged into the environment will reach over 75 percent and by 2030 it will be 88 percent.
To achieve this goal, it is urgent to strengthen the construction of wastewater treatment systems. Talking about the clean water supply, Deputy General Director Nguyen Thanh Su of Saigon Water Supply Corporation (Sawaco) said that Sawaco currently ensures water supply for more than 10 million people in Ho Chi Minh City with a total supply capacity of 2.4 million cubic meters a day and night. Sawaco has invested in building two new water plants including the Kenh Dong II Water Plant with a capacity of 250,000 cubic meters a day and night and Thu Duc IV Water Plant with a capacity of 300,000 cubic meters a day and night.
In addition, Sawaco has submitted a proposal to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to renovate 45 well water supply stations in the area to serve as a backup source for the city.
Speaking at the program, Head of the Urban Department under the HCMC People's Council Nguyen Thi Thanh Van stated clearly that the Standing Committee of the City People's Council requested the city People's Committee to speed up the construction progress of factories in addition to calling for social contributions to water supply, drainage, wastewater treatment, flood prevention so that people's quality of life will be improved and the living environment of the southern metropolis will be better.
