Budget: From 05/2003 to 12/2007 - CHF 3'100'000 (approx. US$ 2'384'615)

Cumulative Budget:

From 06/1993 to 12/2002 and from 05/2003 to 12/2007 - CHF 5'391'000 (approx. US$ 4'147'000)

Line Agency: Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) – Vietnam

Partners:

Centre for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD) – Hanoi University of Science (HUS), Centre for Environmental Engineering of Towns and Industrial Areas (CEETIA) – Hanoi University of Civil Engineering (HUCE)

Implementing Agency:

Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) – Switzerland

Project Location: Hanoi – Vietnam

Background:

To contribute to environmentally sustainable development in Vietnam, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) initiated in April 1998 a project to strengthen the Centre for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD) and the Centre for Environmental Engineering in Towns and Industrial Areas (CEETIA). The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) is acting as implementing agency.

Overall Goal:

Support the partner research institutes in environmental science and technology to improve capacities and managerial competence to identify and solve problems related to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.

Current Objectives:

• Strengthen scientific skills of CETASD in environmental research of aquatic systems and drinking water treatment technologies, enabling them to provide policy makers with reliable data and propose adequate scientific solutions;
• Improve capacity in CEETIA to (i) Identify and analyse problems related to macro-pollutants; (ii) Provide solutions for the design, operation maintenance, and monitoring of technical systems in sanitation and solid waste management;
• Strengthen the organisational, managerial and administrative skills of both centres;
• Position CETASD as one of the leading centres for research in environmental science and technology, and CEETIA as one of the leading centres in research and teaching in sanitation and solid waste management in Northern Vietnam.

Approaches:

The project adopts the following strategy, based on three key elements: (i) Capacity building through the implementation of pilot research projects; (ii) Organisational development process towards an improved management system (including human resource development); and (iii) Increased network activities with national and international stakeholders, policy makers and decision takers, projects and research programmes. The project clearly focuses on an improvement of the research capacity up to international recognised level and reliability.

Results Achieved and Expected:

CETASD has become more effective in its research competence. The staff has been very well-trained in (i) Trace analysis of environmental micro-pollutants, (ii) Carrying out lab and pilot-scale studies for drinking water treatment, (iii) Conducting comprehensive surveys in surface water and groundwater systems. CETASD has achieved national and international reputation through research on Arsenic groundwater pollution. CETASD is now capable of conducting reliable research on heavy metals in aquatic systems, organic pollutants including POPs, as well as pesticides. The project has successfully installed laboratory equipment at CEETIA, the staff has been well trained in laboratory analysis of macro-pollutants. Research capacities in decentralised wastewater treatment and faecal sludge management have been successfully built up. Low-cost systems for decentralized wastewater treatment (anaerobic baffled reactors, anaerobic filters) have been successfully developed and are being implemented.

Scientific skills of CETASD will be further strengthened in environmental chemistry of aquatic systems and drinking water treatment technology. Activities at CEETIA will focus  developing technical guidelines for the design, operation and maintenance of technical systems in decentralised wastewater treatment and faecal sludge management. The organisational, managerial and administrative skills of both CETASD and CEETIA will be strengthened.

Highlights:

CETASD together with Eawag have identified the arsenic groundwater pollution in the Red River Delta and one of the project publications was awarded by the American Chemical Society as the best publication of the year 2005. CEETIA has designed and constructed more than 20 innovative anaerobic baffled reactors for the treatment of domestic wastewater based on official requests by ministries and local authorities. The research outcomes are being implemented in new national standards on urban environmental infrastructure. Faecal sludge is now being recognized as solid waste which requires adequate management, as stated in the new National Environmental Protection Law.

Information and Publications:

Information on the research carried out by the institutions and on their publications can be found on: www.vnu.edu.vn; www.eawag.ch; www.arsenic.eawag.ch/publications

Contact:

CETASD Director CEETIA Vice Director
Hanoi University of Science University of Civil Engineering
Building T3, 334 Nguyen Trai Street 55 Giai Phong Road
Hanoi Vietnam Hanoi Vietnam

Tel.:  +84 4 858 79 64 Tel.:  +84 4 869 83 17
Fax:  +84 4 858 81 52 Fax:  +84 4 263 91 74
E-mail:  cetasd@hn.vnn.vn E-mail:  thnhueceetia@hn.vnn.vn