DECISION

APPROVING THE MASTER PLAN ON WATER DRAINAGE IN THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA KEY ECONOMIC REGION THROUGH 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;
Pursuant to the November 26, 2003 Construction Law;
Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 08/ 2005/ND-CP of January 24, 2005, on construction planning;
Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 88/ 2007/ND-CP of May 28,2007, on water drainage in urban areas and industrial parks;
At the proposal of the Minister of Construction,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the master plan on water drainage in the Mekong River delta key economic region through 2020 with the following principal contents:

1. Scope of the master plan:

- Scope of study: 7 provinces and city to the southwest of Hau river in the Mekong River delta, including Can Tho city and An Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Hau Giang provinces.

Scope of planning: the Mekong River delta key economic region, covering the administrative territories of Can Tho city and An Giang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau provinces, with a total area of 16,617 km2.

2. Viewpoints of the master plan:

- The master plan on water drainage in the Mekong River delta key economic region must be in line with the socio-economic development master plan, the master plan on construction of the Mekong River delta through 2020 and a vision to 2050, orientations for water drainage development in urban areas and industrial parks through 2025 and a vision to 2050, and other approved relevant specialized master plans of the region and provinces.

- To develop a stable and sustainable water drainage system on the basis of building complete rainwater and wastewater drainage systems from collection, conduction to treatment for each basin, in conformity with socio-economic development and environmental protection conditions.

- To utilize water drainage technologies and equipment suitable to local specific conditions, giving priority to modem and energy-saving ones and taking into account their possible future upgrading.

- To encourage domestic economic sectors to participate in building, managing and operating water drainage systems.

3. Objectives of the master plan:

- To concretize water drainage orientations set in the master plan on construction of the Mekong River delta through 2020 and a vision to 2025, taking into account the impacts of climate change.

- To identify water drainage needs of urban centers, industrial parks and rural residential areas in the region; orientations for development of water drainage systems of the Mekong River delta key economic region with a view to eliminating inundation caused by rain and treating all wastewater according to regulations before being discharged into the environment.

- To contribute to mitigating environmental pollution and assuring stable and sustainable socio-economic development in the region and the whole country.

4. Contents of the master plan:

a/ Calculation criteria:

- Calculation criteria comply with current standards and regulations.

- Standard of wastewater drainage in the region: > 80% of the water supply standard.

- The quality of treated wastewater must comply with current regulations.

b/ Wastewater treatment technologies:

Based on local specific conditions, to utilize wastewater treatment technologies and equipment, giving priority to modern, quality, energy-saving and domestically available ones.

c/ Forecast of water drainage needs in the Mekong River delta key economic region:

- Forecast of the total volume of wastewater in urban areas:

- Forecast of the total volume of wastewater in industrial parks:

+ By 2015, the occupied area will be around 4.180 ha and the volume of industrial wastewater will be 102,500 m3/day.

+ By 2020, the occupied area will be around 15,343 ha and the volume of industrial wastewater will be 369,000 m3/day.

- Forecast of the total volume of wastewater in rural residential areas:

Forecast of the total volume of wastewater in the Mekong River delta key economic region:

d/ Master plan on water drainage in the Mekong River delta key economic region:

- Basins and water drainage directions in the region:

+ In Can Tho city and An Giang province, water will be drained mainly into Hau river.

+ In Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces, water will be drained into rivers in the region and into the sea.

- Rainwater drainage plan:

+ Orientations for rainwater drainage in urban areas by 2015:

For new urban areas: To build separate water drainage systems; untreated rainwater will be drained into rivers and canals.

For old urban areas: To upgrade the common water drainage system with surrounding sluices and current-separation pits to collect wastewater for wastewater treatment plants.

For urban areas without water drainage projects, to study and adopt solutions in line with the general plan on construction of the Mekong River delta.

+ Orientations for rainwater drainage in urban areas through 2020:

To concentrate on improving water drainage systems; to further upgrade and maintain water drainage systems to completely eliminate local inundation caused by rain.

- Wastewater drainage plan:

+ Urban areas:

. For urban centers of grade m or higher grade currently using the common water drainage system, to build sluices and separation wells to carry wastewater to treatment plants.

. For urban centers of grades IV and V and industrial parks, to build separate water drainage systems.

+ Rural areas:

In residential clusters, due to small volumes of wastewater and depending on terrain conditions, to build bio-reservoirs for wastewater treatment.

In residential lines, wastewater discharged by each household or group of households shall be treated (septic tanks or biogas cellars) and drained into canals or sluices.

To control water quality in aquaculture areas and limit the use of insecticides and chemical fertilizers in agriculture.

- Plan on building of wastewater treatment plants:

+ Wastewater from urban areas, townships and industrial parks within the Mekong River delta key economic region shall be conducted to wastewater treatment plants and then drained into rivers in the region and into the sea.

+ For urban centers of grade IV or higher grade, to build complete daily-life wastewater drainage systems from collection sluices to wastewater treatment plants. Depending on terrain conditions and wastewater collection capacity of each urban center, to build an appropriate number of treatment plants. The designed capacity of a wastewater treatment plant shall be calculated based on people's access to water drainage services and on each development period.

+ For urban grade-V centers, to evaluate and select the order of priority for building daily-life wastewater drainage systems based on the level of pollution.

+ For industrial parks, to build separate wastewater drainage systems so that by 2015 they will be able to treat all industrial wastewater.

Daily-life and industrial wastewater treatment plants are expected to be built in provincial centers of the Mekong River delta key economic region as follows:

+ Number of daily-life wastewater treatment plants: 13.

+ Number of industrial wastewater treatment plants: 14 by 2015 and 17 by 2020.

5. Investment phasing:

- Period up to 2015:

+ To review and adjust water drainage plans and projects in the region's provinces in conformity with this master plan.

+ To concentrate investment in building wastewater collection systems and wastewater treatment plants for urban centers of grade IV or higher grade.

+ To build wastewater treatment plants for industrial parks, ensuring that industrial wastewater is treated according to regulations before being discharged into the environment.

- During 2015-2020:

+ To build complete rainwater drainage systems in combination with further renovating and maintaining water drainage systems in urban areas to ensure stable and sustainable water drainage and eliminate inundation caused by rain.

+ To build complete wastewater collection systems and wastewater treatment plants for urban centers of grade IV or higher grade and industrial parks.

+ To formulate projects and build wastewater collection systems and wastewater treatment plants for grade-V urban centers.

6. Investment capital sources:

- State budget;

- ODA and foreign aid;

- Investment credit;

- Domestic and foreign investors;

- Capital raised from other economic sectors.

7. Strategic environmental assessment:

- Forecast of environmental impacts caused by the implementation of the master plan:

+ The construction of wastewater treatment plants and pipelines may cause traffic congestion, noise and environmental pollution in the region, especially along national highways.

+ During management and operation:

. Incidents may occur in the collection of wastewater to treatment plants, thus causing environmental pollution in the region (choked or broken water drainage pipelines, or breakdown of wastewater pump station failures).

. Waste (mud and deposited substances from treatment plants or water drainage pipelines) may pollute the environment.

. Before being discharged into water drainage sluices, the volume of wastewater from service and production establishments may exceed the allowable limit, affecting the quality of treated wastewater.

• The quality of treated wastewater is poor, directly affecting the environment of surface water currents.

- Measures to mitigate environmental impacts:

+ During construction:

. To adopt appropriate construction methods and solutions to minimizing environmental impacts.

. To take measures to treat environmental and air pollution and noise caused by vehicles and construction machines at construction sites and along routes of transportation.

. To take measures to prevent incidents.

+ During management and operation:

. To increase the capacity to manage and operate wastewater drainage systems and wastewater treatment plants.

. To take measures to maintain and dredge water drainage sluices.

. To elaborate and observe regulations on collection and treatment of waste from wastewater treatment plants and water drainage systems.

. To work out solutions to reducing environmental pollution upon the occurrence of incidents in water collection systems.

. To take measures to supervise and inspect the quality of wastewater before and after treatment; to adopt solutions to redressing incidents to ensure water quality up to standards or technical regulations.

+ Other supporting measures.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. The Ministry of Construction shall:

- Publicize this master plan.

- Guide localities in reviewing and adjusting their construction plans and specialized water drainage plans in line with this master plan.

- Concerned ministries and sectors shall, based on their functions and tasks assigned by the Government, coordinate with the Ministry of Construction and People's Committees of provinces and centrally run city in the Mekong River delta key economic region in implementing this master plan.

3. People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities in key economic regions shall:

- Review and adjust their construction plans and specialized water drainage plans in line with this master plan.

- Encourage domestic economic sectors to participate in building local water drainage systems.

- Direct the implementation of investment projects to build local water drainage systems.

- To conduct public information work to raise awareness and responsibilities of organizations and individuals for protecting water drainage systems and the role of water drainage systems in environmental protection.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

The Minister of Construction, other concerned ministers, chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities within the Mekong River delta key economic region and heads of relevant agencies shall implement this Decision.-