Over 10,000 people in the Kieu Ky commune outside Hanoi could drown in their own wastewaters. They need improved sanitation and wastewater treatment facilities that can take care of both domestic and industrial wastewaters produced by the commune’s households and craft industries. This PDA is for developing a sanitation model for Kieu Ky and other peri-urban areas in Viet Nam.

Kieu Ky is a peri-urban commune of about 2,000 households in 9 villages and has a total population of over 10,000 people. Located 18 kilometers from Hanoi City Center, the commune still has a strong rural tradition, with 42.2% of households cultivating paddy fields, while 41.9% devote themselves to crafts such as:

* production (beating) of gold leaves for religious ornamentation
* bags manufacturing (cutting, assembling, painting)
* cardboard recycling
* plastic components manufacturing
* metal components manufacturing

All households in Kieu Ky rely on private wells for water, but will be connected to the city’s central water supply system through a major water supply project. Most households use latrines, with 55% of households having septic tanks that collect black wastewater, while 40% have double-vault latrines. No household collects gray wastewater, which is directly discharged into the environment.

Like other craft villages and communes in Viet Nam, Kieu Ky faces severe pollution problems due to inadequate sanitation and wastewater disposal from both domestic and craft making activities. Households’ onsite sanitation needs to be improved and upscaled, while wastewater disposal practices and their impacts on the environment and public health need to be studied. Industrial wastewater from craft activities is often discharged untreated into irrigation canals and paddy fields. Furthermore, untreated industrial wastewater is threatening the quality of underground water resources.

This PDA is developing a a sanitation model in Kieu Ky for possible replication in other peri-urban areas in Viet Nam and other parts of Southeast Asia.