Vietnam Needs $8.7B for Wastewater Treatment by 2020: Ministry

Vietnam will require roughly $8.7 billion to build wastewater treatment plants for 900 urban areas across the nation by 2020, the Ministry of Construction said. The country needs another VND5.5 trillion ($262 million) to maintain the facilities annually, said Nguyen Hong Tien, head of the ministry’s Department of Infrastructure. Processing wastewater is a challenging issue in Vietnam as more than 20% of industrial parks and processing zones are not equipped with wastewater treatment systems while 85% of urban areas have unsanitary landfills. In addition, weak management and corruption in Vietnam’s political system largely result in rampant violations of businesses. Almost all companies directly discharge untreated water into the environment. (Tienphong.com.vn Dec 10)