On Monday afternoon, the Da Nang People’s Committee (PC) Vice Chairman, Mr Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, chaired a seminar on urban wastewater treatment in Da Nang and Japan.  The event was co-organised by the municipal PC and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Over recent years, a focus has been on upgrading the technical infrastructure and building more wastewater treatment plants.  However, the city is now facing many environmental problems due to its rapid population growth and urbanisation.  In particular, a large volume of wastewater from drainage systems along coastal streets in the city is being discharged straight into the sea.  In addition, the city usually experiences very bad flooding during rainy seasons, which adversely affects the living environment of local residents, the urban landscapes, the local tourism sector, and the city’s sustainable development.

An overview of the event (Photo: baoxaydung.com.vn)

Also at the event, a JICA representative, Mr Kenichi Yamamoto, introduced participants to some valuable wastewater treatment experiences from Japan.  He suggested that the existing drainage systems in local residential areas should remain unchanged, but separate sewage and rainwater drainage systems should be installed in all future residential areas.  The Japanese expert also stressed the need to install water flow switches in these systems in order to reduce the likelihood of flooding in the city during the rainy seasons.