HCMC speeds up canal environment improvement progress

Chairwoman of HCMC People’s Council Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam and relevant agency representatives on December 26 conducted a field trip to survey garbage caused environment pollution in some canals in Binh Thanh district.
A worker collects garbage at a canal in HCMC (Photo: SGGP)
A worker collects garbage at a canal in HCMC (Photo: SGGP)
Although many solutions have been applied to dredge and clean up canals, pollution does not not fall to legal levels.
The surveys show that lot of houses have been built encroaching and narrowing Xuyen Tam canal in Ward 2. Wastewater from these households have been directly discharged into the canal.
Bui Huu Nghia canal and Van Thanh canal have been choked with garbage, water hyacinth and weed.
Ms. Truong Thi Hong Thanh, whose house is located in the area, said that wastewater from some households has directly run into Xuyen Tam canal. Local authorities and unions have many times persuaded them to stop releasing wastewater without respond.
Binh Thanh district People’s Committee said that the most difficulty in canal water quality improvement in the district is removing lot of households alongside canals.
Specifically, Xuyen Tam cleanup project needs the complete removal of 1,000 households and partial removal of 1,000 others.
Van Thanh canal cleanup requires 700 households to relocate and 200 households to clear part of their houses. The numbers of houses in need of completely and partially removed are three and 197 to Bui Huu Nghia canal while Thanh Da dredging project needs 27 household to relocate.
The anti-landslide project in Thanh Da island needs to completely and partially remove 26 and 218 households with compensation and resettlement cost estimated to top VND5 trillion (US$215.32 million).
Binh Thanh has proposed many forms of canal improvement including Public Private Partnership (PPP) and the city People’s Committee has approved. However, budget allocation for compensation and resettlement has met difficulties.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam said that the city People’s Council recorded all proposals from the district and would work with the city People’s Committee to consider investment policies for canal cleanup and urban planning in Binh Thanh.
She asked the district to be more proactive in propaganda to raise residents’ awareness of environmental protection.
Some deputies of the city People’s Council reported shortage of garbage collection facilities in many streets alongside canals and proposed the district should rectify the issue to reduce environmental pollution, mobilize Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union members and residential groups to implement “Green Sunday” campaign to dredge and clean up canals to improve the living environment.

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