Protecting environment for sustainable development

Khanh Hoa Province, aiming to become a centrally governed city, has identified environmental protection as a core foundation for sustainable development. It promotes green, circular, and low‑carbon growth while mobilizing the political system, businesses, and communities to actively participate in safeguarding the environment.

The wastewater treatment plant south of Nha Trang treats domestic wastewater to discharge standards within 8 hours.

Advancing integrated environmental infrastructure

Thanks to the province’s investment and attention, all 14 industrial parks and clusters are now equipped with centralized wastewater treatment systems that meet national environmental standards. At the same time, communes and wards have coordinated with functional units to collect, transport, and process solid household waste, achieving a collection rate of 99.6%.

Several projects have been effectively invested in and operated, making notable contributions to environmental protection. These include the Southern Nha Trang Wastewater Treatment Plant with a capacity of 40,000 m³/day and the Northern Nha Trang Plant with a capacity of over 14,000 m³/day, both using modern technology to treat domestic wastewater to discharge standards within 8 hours. The Sustainable Environment Project for Coastal Cities – Phan Rang–Thap Cham Sub-project has upgraded canals, urban transport, and wastewater systems, connecting household wastewater in multiple communes and wards. In addition, the Phan Rang–Thap Cham Wastewater Treatment Plant, with a capacity of 7,500 m³/day, ensures treated water meets standards, contributing to a cleaner, greener urban environment.

Le Huyen, Vice-Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, emphasized that sustainable socio-economic development, guided by green, circular, and low-carbon principles, must go hand in hand with environmental protection, climate adaptation, and effective use of environmental funds. To achieve this, departments and localities are asked to integrate environmental guidelines into development strategies, apply science, technology, and digital tools in monitoring and management, mobilize diverse resources, and strengthen communication and education to raise community awareness and promote responsible environmental action.

In addition, the province currently operates 49 automatic monitoring stations, including 27 for wastewater, 8 for exhaust gas, 12 meteorological monitoring stations at solar power plants, and 2 for ambient air quality. In addition, there are 6 solid waste treatment facilities, 5 in the north and 1 in the south, that meet environmental protection standards.

Garbage collectors in Nha Trang.

Developing green economy

With rapid socio-economic growth, rising waste and wastewater have placed heavy pressure on environmental management. To address this, the province has directed investors to accelerate construction of the Khanh Hoa Waste-to-Energy Plant in Suoi Dau Commune, covering 11.3 hectares and invested in by KH New City Joint Stock Company. Phase 1 will build a household waste treatment facility with a capacity of 1,000 tons of dry waste per day (equivalent to 1,300 tons of wet waste), generating 20MW of electricity. Phase 2 will add a plant to sort and treat 250 tons of industrial waste daily, producing 6MW. At the same time, the province is promoting investment in additional waste-to-energy plants in northern and southern areas to complete environmental infrastructure and advance its goal of a green, circular, and sustainable economy.

According to Nguyen Thi Lan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the sector will focus on key environmental goals in the coming period. These include preventing and controlling pollution, restoring and improving environmental quality, conserving biodiversity, ensuring water, soil, and air meet standards, and strengthening both state management capacity and community awareness in environmental protection.

To achieve the above objectives, the province is directing its departments and agencies to continue effectively implementing the resolutions and directives of the Government and the Prime Minister on environmental pollution, protecting river basins, and implementing a circular economy by 2035. Simultaneously, priority is placed on developing urban and residential environmental infrastructure, mobilizing resources for centralized wastewater treatment, strengthening the capacity of environmental officials, and enhancing inspection, monitoring, and law enforcement in the environmental sector. These efforts aim to meet the province’s sustainable development requirements in the new phase.

Young people join clean-up efforts along Nha Trang Bay.

Furthermore, the province requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to consider allocating central government budget funds and integrating targeted programs and projects to support the province in investing in environmental infrastructure, especially projects for treating solid household waste, urban wastewater, and wastewater from coastal tourist areas; and to establish mechanisms to back communication campaigns that raise public awareness about environmental protection, reducing plastic waste, protecting the marine environment, and linking these efforts with sustainable tourism development.

T.Thinh

Translated by N.T