On the morning of January 14, Mr. Nguyen Thien Van - Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee chaired a meeting with the working delegation of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), led by Mr. Jung Jaewoo, Deputy Country Director of KOICA Vietnam Office, regarding the urban wastewater drainage and treatment system project in Buon Ho town, phase 1.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from relevant departments and leaders of the Buon Ho town People’s Committee.

Delegates attending the working session.

At the meeting, the Buon Ho town People’s Committee provided an overview of the urban wastewater drainage and treatment project in Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province, phase 1. Specifically, from 2025 to 2028, compensation, resettlement support, and site clearance will be carried out for the areas designated for the construction of wastewater pumping stations and the centralized wastewater treatment facility.

The project aims to build a wastewater collection system separate from the rainwater drainage system in the central urban areas of the town (the collection areas include the districts of Dat Hieu, An Binh, An Lac, Thong Nhat, and Thien An). The total pipeline length for collecting and transporting wastewater, including both pressurized and non-pressurized pipes, is 30 km. The total length of household drainage connection pipes is 37.9 km.

Chairman of the Buon Ho Town People's Committee, Đang Gia Duan, gave a speech during the working session.

The system will collect wastewater from households, businesses, and organizations within Buon Ho town. By 2032, approximately 2,900 households will be connected and benefit directly from the project.

The construction of this system will mitigate negative impacts on public health and reduce environmental pollution from untreated wastewater released into the environment. It will significantly improve the living environment of the urban area, enhance the health of the residents, especially that of ethnic minorities, and contribute to sustainable economic development in Buon Ho town.

Furthermore, the project is expected to enhance the living conditions of residents by improving environmental sanitation services, raising awareness, changing behaviors, and fostering community responsibility towards environmental protection. It aims to promote industrialization and modernization in the town and contribute to the overall sustainable socio-economic development of Dak Lak province.

Deputy Country Director of KOICA Vietnam, Jung Jaewoo, exchanged views during the working session.

The financial source for the project consists of non-refundable ODA from KOICA and counterpart funding from the Dak Lak provincial budget, with a projected total investment of over 9.9 million USD.

According to Mr. Dang Gia Duan - Chairman of the Buon Ho town People’s Committee, a survey conducted from January 8 to 13, 2025, by the KOICA delegation, the Buon Ho town People’s Committee, and related units explored actual sites at Pumping Station No. 1 in Dat Hieu Ward, No. 2 in An Binh Ward, No. 3 in An Lac Ward, and the proposed site for the wastewater treatment plant in Ea Sien commune. Both parties discussed the environmental discharge standards post-treatment to serve agricultural irrigation (which has specific standards for agricultural irrigation), training, operation, and maintenance of the plant, and the cost calculation for operation.

Mr. Nguyen Thien Van – Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee spoke at the meeting.

The implementation of this project will help the local area efficiently treat wastewater, protect the urban environment in Buon Ho town and surrounding areas, and improve the living conditions and urban landscape. Additionally, phase 1 of the project will help meet the urban classification standards by 2030 for Buon Ho town, laying the groundwork for further expansion to achieve the goal of collecting and thoroughly treating 100% of wastewater from households, businesses, administrative agencies, and schools.

Leaders of the provincial People’s Committee and Buon Ho town People's Committee presented gifts and took photos with the KOICA Vietnam delegation.

To implement the project on schedule, the People's Committee of the town requested the Provincial People's Committee to advise the Ministry of Planning and Investment to promptly provide feedback on the investment proposal report for the Urban Drainage and Wastewater Treatment System project in Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province, phase 1; the Department of Planning and Investment to quickly consider signing a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation for development between the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the People's Committee of Dak Lak province to have a basis for implementing the next steps to ensure the overall progress of the project; and to soon assign the responsibility of the investor to the People's Committee of Buon Ho town to enable the investor to implement the necessary investment preparation steps timely. 

Mr. Jung Jaewoo, Deputy Country Director of KOICA Vietnam Office, stated that the project has been approved by the South Korean government, scheduled for implementation from 2025 to 2029, with a total financial support of 9.2 million USD from the South Korean government; he also committed that they would always accompany and fully support the project to ensure its successful and effective implementation. After handing over the project, the South Korean side will continue to send experts to assist the town in managing and operating the system. 

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Thien Van – Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee thanked the South Korean government and KOICA Vietnam Office for supporting the Urban Drainage and Wastewater Treatment System project in Buon Ho town. Based on the cooperation foundation built over time, the Provincial People's Committee will coordinate with ministries, sectors, and specialized agencies to speed up the legal procedures, sign the memorandum of understanding, and allocate matching funds from the budget to implement the necessary investment preparation steps to ensure the overall progress of the project.