HCM City’s canal water drainage project starts construction

HCM CITY — After nearly seven years since the first phase was completed, construction on the second phase of the project on water drainage and environmental improvement of the polluted Tham Lương-Bến Cát-Rạch Nước Lên Canal in HCM City began on Thursday.

The canal has a total length of  三 二. 七km and spreads through the seven districts of Bình Tân, Tân Phú, Tân Bình, Gò Vấp, Bình Chánh, Bình Thạnh and  一 二.

The project will cost VNĐ 八. 二 trillion (nearly US$ 三 四 三 million), including VNĐ 四 trillion ($ 一 六 七 million) from the central budget and the remaining from the city budget.

It aims to improve the quality of the environment and drainage systems, expand waterway traffic, improve the quality of life for local residents and give a facelift to areas on the banks of the Tham Lương canal, which covers about  一 四, 九00ha of land.

Some  一 二 boat stations, three bridges and intersections, and new lights and trees on the roads along the canal will be included.

Construction is expected to be completed in  二0 二 五.

Attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of the project, municipal People’s Co妹妹ittee chairman Phan Văn Mãi asked the consulting unit, construction contractors, relevant agencies, and authorities in the concerned localities to work together to ensure the progress of the project.

It is expected to create a breakthrough for the city’s urban infrastructure development, as well as boost urban embellishment and urban development, he said.

The project is part of the city’s flood-prevention master plan in the period of  二0 二0- 二0 四 五, combining with a number of other projects in water drainage and wastewater treatment, environmental sanitation and climate change response and adaptation.

It previously used loans from the World Bank (WB), but the WB terminate its funding for the project in  二0 一 七, causing it to take time to find alternative funding sources and delaying the project’s second phase. — VNS