Urban environmental challenges
toward sustainable development in
Hochiminh City, Vietnam
Dang Nguyen Thien Huong – Email: [email protected]
Yokohama City University, Japan
Introduction
Clean water for citizens in Vietnam (%)
Ho Chi Minh City is currently in the rapid urbanization and
the populous city in Vietnam. In 2010, Ho Chi Minh City
numbered 7.39 million inhabitants which is twice that of
Yokohama City, Japan (Approximately 3.67 million). This
high population growth rate and the steady urbanization
have lead Ho Chi Minh City into crisis of urban
environmental problems.
The three main environmental aspects, which need to be
in a state of emergency:
- Air pollution caused by traffic transportation
- Water shortage damaged by manufactures
- Solid waste scattered by domestic facilities.
70%
70
citizens
have been
supplied
clean
water
60
50
40
30
20
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tay Bac Landfill
Area: 820 ha
Capacity: 3,000 t/day
Dong Thanh Dumpsite
Area: 43.5 ha
Capacity: 1,000 t/day
Go Cat Landfill (Full)
Area: 25 ha
Capacity: 2,000 t/day
10
0
1996
2003
2008
Can Gio
Dumpsite
1,000 t/day
Viet Star Composting
Plant
2010
Source: Unilever Vietnam Fund 2010
Thu Thua Landfill
(under construction)
Area: 1780 ha
Capacity: 3,000 t/day
Those problems are challenged Hochiminh City in a new
trend of sustainable development.
Source: Vietnam National
Environment Report 2010
Air pollution
Da Phuoc Landfill
Area: 128 ha
Capacity: 3,000 t/day
Main reasons:
-Lack of high technology of recycling
-Lack of capacity of waste collection
-Lack of waste policy
-Lack of integrated solid waste management
-NIMBY syndromes existence (NIMBY- not in my back yard)
Solution
Fuel consumption
Traffic
90%
Private
transport
Others
14%
Infrastructure
Electricity
12%
Transport
55%
Industry
19%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Public transport
50%
30%
Motorbike, 90
Motorbike, 70
- Most of industry zone or factories locate along the rivers.
- Less 40% of manufactories have waste water treatment system.
- Less 50% of waste water in urban have treated, the rest discharge
to rivers or canals.
Surface water are harmful
- Clean water treatment plant has relied on ground water.
Ground water are also damaged
Car
Municipal solid waste
Motorbike
Million tons
20%
Solid
waste
Water
Policy
Municipal waste
Motorbike, 10
0%
CO
NOx
25
VOC
Industrial waste
Source: Vietnam Environment
Administration - Report 2009
Main reasons:
- Inadequate infrastructure
- Lack of public transport system
- Weak of urban planning
20
3 times
agricultural waste
Total waste
Three wheels could
change situation
0
- Vietnam has 13 rivers which cover about 10,000km2
- Water usage mainly for agriculture facilities but industry
is the main source of water pollution.
Water usage
2003
Industrial waste water on Thi Vai river
Source: Vietnam National
Environment Report 2010
2008
Conclusion
- Waste generation has been increased for 10 years and continued
since today.
Metal
5%
Rural area and suburban have shortage of clean water.
Source: Tuoitreonline.com
1998
Household
2%
Agriculture
84%
Clean water shortage
integrated
management
Craft villages
10
Water pollution
Tourism
3%
Fishing
4%
finance
Hospital waste
15
5
Industry
7%
Relationship of
environmental aspects
and management
Social
awareness
30
10%
Technology
urban
Source: Ministry of Industry
and trade – Annual Report
2007.
40%
urbanization
others
6%
Waste component
Organic waste
should be used
as bio-energy or
compost.
Paper
18%
Organic
55%
Plastic
16%
Source: Vietnam National
Environment Report 2010
- Domestic waste has been discarded average 35,000 tons/day.
- Hochiminh City discards 10,120 tons waste/day in 2010.
- Waste is not separated at sources and all dispose at the landfills.
- There are 17 engineering sanitary landfills, 91 controlled landfill,
49 open dumpsites across the country.
- Hochiminh City has 4 sanitary landfills (One full capacity and one
under construction).
- Recycling rate is low.
- The three urban environmental problems cause beyond
rapid economic growth and urbanization have a complex
relationship with management aspects.
-To solve those problems, need an integrated management
system which shows step-by-step process as the main
wheel to change citizens’ awareness toward using less
environmental resources.
- The more we produce the more we discard. If we could
control the amount of products, we would manage the
amount of waste. Hence, we can toward sustainability.
Contact
Dang Nguyen Thien Huong (Ms)
Yokohama City University - (YCU)
22-2 Seto Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City 236-0027, Japan
Vietnam National University – Hochiminh City
University of Social Sciences and Humanities – (USSH)
10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang, District 1. Hochiminh City, VN
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +81-080-4660-0609 (Japan)
+84-090-3040-299 (Vietnam)