Assessment of pollution load from socio economic activities discharged into coastal areas: case study of Quang Tri province (Vietnam).

Abstract

Quang Tri Province, located in the central region of Vietnam at the southern gateway to the Gulf of Tonkin, includes coastal areas and Con Co Island, which serve as important habitats and breeding grounds for high economic value marine species. Using rapid environmental assessment methods and direct measurements at discharge sources, the amount of waste discharged into coastal waters has been estimated. Each year, socio-economic development activities of Quang Tri province discharge approximately 23.5 thousand tons of COD, 8.5 thousand tons of N-T, over 650 tons of P–T and about 125 thousand tons of TSS into the coastal waters. The discharged amounts represent 13% to 78% of the total waste generated for each pollutant. Among the generated waste sources in the province, livestock and poultry activity contribute to the largest share, followed by domestic and industrial source. Meanwhile, the capacity to treat domestic wastewater in urban areas only reaches about 11%; the capacity to treat livestock and poultry waste reaches about 60%; and industrial waste treatment infrastructure is still inadequate and underfunded. To minimize the amount of waste discharged into the coastal waters, Quang Tri Province must increase investment in source-level waste treatment and strengthen environmental management measures.