Only about 16 percent of the 2.5 million cubic meters of wastewater discharged into the Dong Nai River in southern Vietnam everyday is treated, the leader of a water and environment company has revealed. Le Van Tuan, general director of the Vietnam Water and Environment Joint Stock Company, gave the figures at the 8th meeting of the Dong Nai River Basin Environment Protection Committee held in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday. The river runs through 11 localities that discharge a total of 2.5 million cubic meters of wastewater into the river, but only 400,000 cubic meters of which are treated in accordance with current regulations on wastewater treatment, Tuan said. These 11 localities are Ho Chi Minh City and the ten provinces: Dak Nong, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai, Binh Dương, Lam Dong, Long An, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Binh Phuoc. Under a decision issued by the Prime Minister in 2007 on orientations for urban drainage planning for urban areas and industrial parks in Vietnam by 2025, the proportion of urban wastewater to be treated in each locality within the Dong Nai River basin must reach 60 percent in the 2011-2015 period, the committee said. However, except for Ninh Thuan that obtains a wastewater treatment rate of 75 percent, all the other ten localities either have much lower rates (such as Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong) or have yet to collect wastewater for treatment (such as Long An, Dak Nong, and Binh Thuan).

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