Customizing a Decentralized Sanitation Solution for Viet Nam's Peri-urban Areas

Kieu Ky, a crafts commune located 18 kilometers downstream of Ha Noi’s city center, is a typical peri-urban area experiencing problems related to urbanization such as rapid population growth and environmental degradation. It is largely left to fend for itself since infrastructure and services are cornered by the city center.

Sanitation is a service sorely lacking in Kieu Ky, and residents bear the burden of managing their wastewater. They rely mainly on septic tanks and dry latrines but both these systems have proven ineffective in treating wastewater.

In 2007, the Asian Development Bank financed a pilot and demonstration activity aimed at designing a sanitation solution for Kieu Ky. A decentralized wastewater treatment facility with a piped system connecting to the septic tanks of 60 pilot households was finally designed.

The Kieu Ky experience provides a solid example of decentralized off-site sanitation solutions for peri-urban areas and small towns. The project showed that design considerations for sanitation approaches in peri-urban areas cover a wide ground, from topography to climate to behaviors and more. Moreover, decentralized sanitation approaches reduce the need for complex design engineering and keep costs to a minimum, enabling communities to participate in their management and operations.

The project team learned that people would invest in sanitation services if they understood the benefits they stand to gain.