What are the rules of managing and constructing wastewater collection, drainage structures of urban areas and residential areas in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Circular 15/2021/TT-BXD (takes effect from 10/02/2022) stipulating the rules of managing and constructing wastewater collection, drainage structures of urban areas and residential areas in Vietnam as follows:

- Investment in constructing structures for collecting and draining wastewater in urban areas and residential areas must comply with urban planning, construction planning, urban wastewater drainage planning (if any) depending on drainage basin.

- New construction, repair, and renovation of wastewater collection and drainage must be consistent and connected to other structures in wastewater drainage and treatment network; ensure capacity for transporting, treating wastewater of the area, taking into account additional amount of wastewater treated in accordance with national technical regulations on environment prior to discharging into receiving waters. Encourage the use of construction solutions that do not expose drainage sewers, especially the primary sewers in urban areas with high traffic density.

- For existing urban areas and residential areas that already have common water drainage network, People’s Committees of all levels are responsible for preparing, approving plans and roadmap for investing in construction, upgrade, renovation, and expansion of separate or semi-separate water drainage system (construct combined sewer overflows, collection sewers to collect and transport wastewater to concentrated wastewater treatment plants).

- New urban areas and residential areas must have wastewater collection and treatment systems separate from rainwater drainage systems to collect and transport wastewater in a manner satisfactory to water drainage demands in the area, except for specific cases regulated by the Government.

Best regards!