Despite an $800 million investment in the Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment Project, Hanoi’s To Lich River continues to suffer from untreated sewage and persistent delays.
The mission to restore Hanoi’s To Lich River remains a pressing issue, with General Secretary To Lam urging city authorities to accelerate the construction of wastewater treatment systems.
However, despite years of efforts and an $800 million investment, the river continues to endure heavy pollution.
Decades of plans, minimal results
The To Lich River remains heavily polluted despite years of cleanup efforts. Photo: Quang Phong
Since 2009, Hanoi has launched numerous initiatives to clean the To Lich River. The most ambitious project involves constructing an underground sewage system to divert untreated wastewater away from the river. Currently, nearly 300 drainage outlets pour approximately 150,000 cubic meters of untreated wastewater into the river daily.
The Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment System, launched in October 2016 with a total capacity of 270,000 cubic meters per day, was expected to address this problem. While the treatment plant has been completed and began trial operations on December 1, 2024, at a reduced capacity of 100,000 cubic meters per day, significant delays persist in connecting the system to the river.
As of late November 2024, the underground sewage pipeline running along the To Lich River is 98% complete, with site restoration underway. However, untreated wastewater continues to flow into the river through drainage outlets, leaving the water black and foul-smelling.
Despite eight years of construction, the project is still incomplete, and the river remains burdened by hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of untreated sewage. Residents are increasingly frustrated by the visible lack of progress.
Unresolved issues with sewage collection
Ongoing construction along the To Lich River aims to complete the underground sewage system.
During an inspection in late November, Hanoi’s Vice Chairman Nguyen Trong Dong acknowledged that while the main sewer system is nearly complete, full wastewater collection remains elusive. Eight major drainage outlets upstream of the river remain disconnected from the system.
The Hanoi Department of Construction has proposed integrating these outlets into the pipeline to ensure all wastewater is treated. Should this prove unfeasible, authorities may temporarily block the outlets to prevent untreated water from entering the river and instead replenish the river with clean water to improve its environmental conditions.
Additionally, to achieve the plant’s full capacity of 270,000 cubic meters per day, Hanoi must complete associated projects, including the sewer system for the Lu River (Package 3) and a partial sewer system for the Ha Dong area (Package 4). Both packages, however, are significantly delayed.
Lu River System: The contract with the original contractor has been terminated, and plans are underway to reallocate funding from ODA loans to the city’s budget.
Ha Dong Sewer System: After months of inactivity, construction resumed in February 2024, though only 22% of the work has been completed.
A long road ahead
Workers inspect the underground pipelines designed to channel wastewater to the Yen Xa treatment plant.
Despite the partial completion of the Yen Xa treatment plant, the broader system remains unfinished. Without functioning pipelines to divert wastewater from the To Lich, Lu Rivers, and parts of Ha Dong, the plant will operate below capacity and remain underutilized.
Hanoi faces mounting pressure to address these challenges promptly, as delays prolong environmental degradation and strain public patience. The vision of a clean and revitalized To Lich River remains distant, requiring sustained effort and coordination across multiple projects.
Vietnamnet.vn
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