LookAtVietnam – Enterprises in the city will soon have to build a bio-logical pool to take in effluents that have been treated and have a qualified independent company monitor its quality before discharging into a water source.

Each enterprise will also have to have an independent consulting company monitor the quality of sewage after treatment.

Biological pools, such as fish pools which some enterprises are already using, will be used to determine the quality of effluents after treatment, department deputy director Nguyen Van Phuoc said.

The biological pools will prevent situations where enterprises that have built a sewage treatment system do not bother to use it, and will also help ensure that treated sewage meets set standards before it can be released into rivers or other water sources, Phuoc said.

According to Phuoc, a biological pool will not require much land. A pool of 5 sq.m is enough for an enterprise with a capacity of 50 cu.m per day and night, and a pool of 15 sq.m for enterprises with capacity of 100 cu.m.

Each enterprise will also have to have an independent consulting company monitor the quality of sewage after treatment, he said.

The consulting company will have to take responsibility before government agencies if the quality of treated effluents is below standard, he added.

Besides these two measures, Phuoc said the department would continue to co-operate with the environment police to discover and punish violators; make a list of enterprises which cause pollution or are likely to cause pollution; identify seriously polluted areas to treat and control pollution; and improve the quality of environmental reports and assessments.

Concerning hospital waste, the department would co-operate with the Department of Health to control over building and operating sewage treatment systems in health centres and hospitals.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News