Factories in industrial parks (IPs) along the Hau River in the Mekong Delta are polluting the river and land, a Can Tho city architect and planner has said.

Tran Van An, head of the Can Tho Institute of Architecture and Planning, said many IPs built along the riverbank in An Giang Province operate without proper waste water treatment systems.

Other industrial projects are being built in An Giang as well as Dong Thap and Soc Trang provinces.

Once these IPs are completed, the Hau River will become too polluted unless treatment systems are put into place soon, said Le Quang Minh, head of Can Tho Province's Environment Bureau of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Mr An said the Ministry of Construction needed to create a master plan for construction along the river and better manage and supervise building activities.

Untreated waste water

A seafood processing facility owned by An Giang Seafood Import-Export Co does not treat its waste water, Huynh Kim Long, the company's deputy director, said.

Located in An Giang Province's My Quy IP, the factory, which plans to build a treatment system, is discharging its waste water into the river, he said.

The region's biggest seafood processor, Nam Viet Co, located in An Giang's Long Xuyen City, has a treatment capacity of only 400 cu.m of waste water daily, but the company produces three times that amount.

Much of the water, which contains foul-smelling fish by products and oil, is poured directly into the river, says the department.

The department petitioned the local People's Council to fine the company or suspend their operation, but the council has yet to take any action.

In Can Tho City, several IP factories without waste treatment systems are also improperly discharging waste through sewer drains.

Le Hung Dung, of the department's environmental management bureau, said that the capacity of Mekong Livestock Feed Enterprise's water disposal system was not large enough to meet regulations.

Another company, Seafood Co 404 also does not comply with waste treatment regulations, he said.

IP expansion along river

Most IPs, scattered over large areas in adjacent provinces, encroach upon the banks of the Hau River.

The 1,000-ha Hung Phu IP I and II, for example, abuts the edge of the river in Cai Rang District in Can Tho City. A joint-venture oil refinery and a Cai Lan Vegetable Oil Co plant are located in these IPs.

Hundreds of factories are also located in Tra Noc IPs I and II, covering 300 ha in districts Binh Thuy and O Mon, which encircle the river.

One Can Tho official predicts that eventually an industrial village of sorts will extend along the Hau River, stretching from Tra Noc to Thot Not Districts near An Giang Province.

According to a report from Can Tho City government, an estimated 2,700ha along the river will go towards industrial development, leaving only 5.5 km through Trung Kien Commune in Thot Not District vacant.

In nearby Vinh Long Province, a new industrial area and a new urban zone are also under construction, occupying 162ha under Can Tho Bridge.

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