Policy and Effort on Decentralized
Domestic Wastewater Treatment inVietnam
Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai
Deputy Director, Environmental Science InstituteVietnam Environment Administration
The 14th WEPA Annual Meeting
22 February 2019
Tokyo1OUTLINE
 Brief review on domestic wastewatermanagement
 DEWATS development in Vietnam

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BRIEF REVIEW ON DOMESTICWASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

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Background Total population by 2017: 93.7 million, in which: urban: 31.4
million, rural: 60.3 million.
 804 cities/towns.
 Viet Nam has one of the fastest rates of urbanization inthe world, with almost 43% of the country’s population
expected to be living in cities by 2030.
 Over the past 20 years, the Govt. of Vietnam has madeconsiderable effort to develop urban sanitation policies,
legislations and regulations and to invest in urban sanitation
including wastewater treatment systems.

4Background

Municipal water demand highlights

Assumed municipal water demand to 2030

Source: Viet Nam: Hydro-Economic Framework for Assessing Water Sector Challenges 2030WRG (2017)5

Urban Wastewater Management
QCVN 14:2008/BTNMTNational Technical Regulation on Domestic Wastewater

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Urban Wastewater Management
 In the big cities there has been investment in constructionof centralized collection and treatment facilities.
• In 2017, there were 39 centralized WWTPs built in
urban areas of grade III or higher.
• Total design capacity of 907,950 m3/day.
• 5.3% WWT systems which reach standard.
 In peri-urban areas, the countryside do not have separate
collection systems, domestic wastewater and are stilldischarged together with rainwater drainage systems.

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Urban Wastewater Management

Source: National Environmental Report (2017)

Proportion of cities with WWT process meets the standards

8Recent Situation of the Wastewater
Treatment in Vietnam

Source: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Anh, IESE, HUCE

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Financing Mechanism for Wastewater
Management

Source: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Anh, IESE, HUCE

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Barriers and Challenges in Urban
Wastewater Management
 CSS (Combined sewerage and drainage system) is
dominating in most of existing urban areas in Vietnam. Mostof wastewater projects in these areas prefer to stay withCSS, due to limited budget. SSS (Separate sewerage system)
is compulsory in new urban development projects.
 Low C/N in incoming flow to WWTP from CSS is achallenge for biological wastewater treatment processes.
 Fecal sludge management is among hot issues, but not wellhandled in all cities, so far.
 Lack of capital investment and low wastewater tariff areamong key financial barriers.
Source: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Anh, IESE, HUCE

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Barriers and Challenges in Urban
Wastewater Management
 About 35% WW will be treated (based on treatmentcapacity) as of 2020.
 Another 80 WW projects are under call-for investment orwaiting-for-approval.
 About $6 billion dollars will be needed to invest in thissector towards 2025.
 Reduce from 90% to 85% ODA loan for WW projects.

Financial constrains!

Stronger Promoting DEWATS as a cheaper approach for treatment of
WW (in some potential cases)
12DEWATS DEVELPOPMENT
IN VIETNAM

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DEWATS IN VIETNAM
Advantages• More affordable• Less investment and O&M costs• On-site reuse• Encouraging participation• Low-cost technologies• Step-wise approach...

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DEWATS IN VIETNAM
Main current applications: office buildings, public toilets,hotels, factories, hospitals, new communities, trade villages,etc. (Q<1000 m3/d)
Thousands of DEWATS Projects: –by DESA group, IESE –projects of GIZ and KfW, ADB –BORDA (about 20 projectsin Vietnam) –private investors and firms

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DEWATS IN VIETNAM

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DEWATS IN VIETNAM
POLICY ADJUSTMENT IN DEWATS PROMOTION
 Decree No 80/2014/ND-CP dated 06 August 2014 on drainage, sewerage
and wastewater treatment• Article 4. Issue National Technical Regulations (NTR) on Wastewater• Article 7. Local regulations on wastewater management• Article 23. Provisions on decentralized wastewater treatment
 Circular No 04/2015/TT-BXD dated 03 April, 2015 on implementation
guideline of Decree 80/2014/ND-CP• Article 1. Management of decentralized wastewater treatment
 Decision No 589/QD-TTg issued on 06 April, 2016 on Amended
Orientation on Urban and Industrial Development towards 2025 andvision 2050
• Combination between Centralization WWT (CWAT) and Decentralization
WWT (DEWATS) to improve the rate of WW treatment before discharging
to the environment.
• Application of DEWATS or improved ON-SITE treatment for areas without
WW collection system and CWAT.
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DEWATS IN VIETNAMBARRIERS FOR APPLICATION DEWATS

 No incentives
 Lack of knowledge of decentralized options
 Low rate of household connection
 Traditional acceptance of untreated wastewaterdisposal by most of people There are still very few decentralized technicaloptions developed and applied.

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DEWATS IN VIETNAMBARRIERS FOR APPLICATION DEWATS

 Lack of detail guidelines for DEWATS
 Quality of design and construction, associated with –consultants’ competency, –administrative appraisal
procedures.
 Capacity
building
component
implementation is poor.

duringproject19

DEWATS IN VIETNAM
SOLUTION FOR IMPROVEMENT Early decision making, integration of DWWM options
into urban planning.
 Design standards are to be issued.
 Effluent standards are to be reviewed, especially on N,
and pathogens removal in DWWM systems, and to avoid
double investment.
 Testing and Certification for technology, equipment,
operation of w/w systems, sludge management services
is needed.

Source: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Anh, IESE, HUCE

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DEWATS IN VIETNAM
SOLUTION FOR IMPROVEMENT Household connection should be compulsory. Allcomponents should be considered in a whole chain: HHfacilities – collection network – wastewater treatment –disposal or reuse.
 Professional O&M service providers are needed, on-site oroutsourced. Branch of provincial sewerage and drainage
company is one among options.
 Promotion center(s) with strong networking is needed.

Source: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Anh, IESE, HUCE

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai
Deputy Director, Environmental Science InstituteVietnam Environment Administrationth
Add: 7 Floor, MONRE Newspaper Building, Duong Dinh Nghe road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (+8424) 37713275; Email: maintp@vea.gov.vn

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