VietNamNet Bridge – Faced with the problem of “cleaning” polluted water Hanoi and HCMC are on the look out for new sources.

Binh says water from Dau Tieng reservoir is very safe, unpolluted and will be cheap to treat.

In 2008, the Saigon Water Supply Company (Sawaco) had to spend 9.3 billion dong to purchase 846.5 tonnes of chlorine to treat water. In addition, Sawaco also had to pay several billion dong a year to Dau Tieng Company for desalinisation and chemicals.

The HCM City authorities have agreed with Dr Binh on using water from Dau Tieng reservoir. They plan to build a water treatment plan with an eventual capacity of 1,020,000 cubic metres per day (the capacity of the first phase is 600,000 cubic metres per day).

The plant will treat water from Chinh Dong canal and sell to Tan Hiep plant, from which the treated water will be put into the water supply system of HCM City.

According to investor Saigon Dau Tieng Water Supply Company, project plans are now with the Ministry of Construction (MOC).

However one Sawaco director said that while in the long term it would be necessary to use water from Dau Tieng reservoir to provide HCM City, he believes currently it remains more economical to use Saigon River water.

Ho Long Phi, MA, lecturer at HCM City University of Technology, thinks the safety of water should be top priority, therefore, the safest water needs to be used despite high costs.

Meanwhile, Binh stresses water from Saigon and Dong Nai rivers have been polluting more rapidly than previously forecast. Therefore, government agencies must look for other resources. He said besides Dau Tieng, Tri An reservoir’s water should be considered.

In Hanoi, besides the underground water, the city is also using water from Song Da (Da River) Water Plant. Some 50,000 households in the southwest of the city have been using clean water from the source since March 2009.

An expert at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology said of 12 water plants providing water to the districts in the inner city, three plants at least, Ha Dinh, Phap Van and Tuong Mai, are having problems with ammonia and that currently applied measures cannot help treat ammonia absolutely.

“The only solution is to use other water sources,” he said.

VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre