The days of a pristine Phu Quoc are long gone. Its coral reefs are dying; the island is starting to clear forests and farms to accommodate an ambitious master plan for 2030; and untreated waste is being deposited into its waters. While there’s no stemming the tide of development, it looks like local authorities are at least committed on taking on the latter problem.
Nearly all of the 28 hotels and resorts along Ba Keo, one of the island’s most popular beaches, discharge their wastewater directly into the ocean contaminating nearby waters to the point where tourists must travel a significant distance to find a safe place to swim.
To make matters worse, the island currently lacks waste treatment plants to process the 70-80 tons of garbage that are generated by the island’s residents and visitors each day.
According to the Kien Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Phu Quoc attracted over 400,000 tourists in 2014, a 37% year-on-year increase and the government hopes to see this number rise to 2 –3 million by 2020.
Perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, the local authorities are taking the pollution problem more seriously, announcing plans to open a waste treatment plant next year. It has also contracted a Japanese company to produce a feasibility study for a wastewater treatment system, according to Thanh Nien.
Until then, the island’s garbage will continue to be transported to dumping grounds for burying and treated with odor control chemicals.
Fortunately, there are still parts of the island that provide an idyllic beach getaway...for now.
