Da Nang city fines owner of polluting project hinh anh 1An outlet for household waste water discharges onto a beach in Da Nang. The city has fined a hotel project owner for illegally discharging untreated waste water into the environment. (Photo: VNA)

Da Nang (VNA) - The central city of Da Nang has fined the Sao Vang Nha Trang Joint Stock Company, the owner of the Sapphire Hotel project, 320 million VND (14,000 USD) for not completing an environmental assessment plan before construction.

The city announced the fine in a statement on December 6, stating that the Sapphire Hotel project, which is under construction, was found discharging untreated waste water into the environment in August.

It said the project had illegally pumped waste water from its on-going excavation of basement floors into the city’s household waste water treatment system.

According to the city’s construction department, the treatment system was overloaded with waste water discharged from the project, and could not treat the overflow. A section of My Khe beach was heavily polluted by illegally discharged waste from the hotel project.

The fine is the heaviest punishment for illegally discharging waste water into the environment so far this year.

The city has been investigating two more construction projects – the Vietnam Holiday Company and the Sea Shore Hotel of Chinwin Company – in coastal Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son districts for discharging untreated waste water into the city’s household sewage system.

The department asked all hotel and apartment project investors in coastal areas to develop an assessment of waste water before discharging it into the city’s sewage system.

According to the latest report by the construction department, seven out of 15 waste water pipes still discharge untreated household sewage into the sea in Da Nang. Some beaches have been heavily polluted by untreated waste water from hundreds of seafood restaurants and construction sites along the coast.

The central city plans to build a waste water treatment project for cleaning the My An discharge outlet that has polluted a section of My Khe beach in Ngu Hanh Son district.-VNA
VNA