Mekong Delta provinces are implementing measures to tackle the issue ofwater pollution, according to the Steering Committee for theSouth-Western Region.

Special attention is beingpaid to constructing sewage treatment facilities and environmental earlywarning systems at industrial parks, whilst making environmentalassessment reports a legal requirement for all investment projects.

Raising public awareness on environmental protection, improvingirrigation systems for aquaculture, and preventing chemical leaching arealso amongst the set of measures to be adopted.

Authorities in An Giang, Kien Giang and Ca Mau provinces and Can Thocity plan to construct 13 waste water treatment plants by 2016, capableof treating 188,000m3 of household waste water per day.

From 2016 onwards, 17 industrial sewage treatment plants will beconstructed, with a capacity of 240,000m3 per day, including 11facilities in Can Tho, where similar projects are already underconstruction at Thot Not and Tra Noc industrial parks.

Starting this year, drainage systems will be rebuilt in urban areas,while biogas tanks will be constructed in rural areas to reduceenvironmental contamination.

According to thesouth-western Department of Environmental Protection, waste watercontains toxic substances, mainly discharged from industrial parks,urban households, and agriculture.

The authoritycalculates that the total amount of waste water would increase to 1.4million m3 per day by 2020, with households being the main culprits,especially in Can Tho.-VNA