Black, foul-smelling wastewater discharged into the upstream section of Da Nang’s Han River is polluting the environment.
For several days, wastewater has flowed into the river at the intersection with the Cam Le River, originating from multiple gates in Cam Le and Hai Chau districts.
At a sewage gate beneath Do Xu Bridge, black water has been visibly pouring into the Cam Le River. Around 300 m away from the site, another gate near the Da Nang Exhibition and Fair Center has also been discharging similarly black and foul water.
According to the Da Nang Drainage and Wastewater Treatment Company, the wastewater released under Do Xu Bridge has undergone biological treatment using anaerobic microbes but has not been disinfected.
“Wastewater treated anaerobically is often gray,” said Ha Van Thanh, the company’s director. The anaerobic process may make the water black and foul, he said, suggesting that dredging the sludge at the riverbed could be a potential solution to mitigate the issue.
Thanh also pointed out that recent rainfall has contributed to increased water discharge from sewage gates.
In response, the company has constructed temporary sandbanks at the gates to prevent overflow and implemented measures to reduce odors.
This is not the first time Da Nang’s waterways have faced such contamination. In June 2023, sections of the Cam Le River were also polluted with black, foul-smelling wastewater, prompting environmental concerns.
