Investing tens of thousands of billions of dong to clean up canals
Ho Chi Minh City has spent tens of thousands of billions of VND to build wastewater treatment plants and dredge canals. One of the major projects that has just been inaugurated is the expansion of the collection system and the Binh Hung wastewater treatment plant, part of the City Water Environment Improvement Project Phase 2 with a total cost of about VND11,300 billion, using ODA loans from Japan and domestic counterpart funds.
Binh Hung wastewater treatment plant has the capacity to treat 469,000m³ of wastewater per day, an increase of 328,000m³ compared to phase one. Wastewater from districts 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 and Binh Chanh district is collected and transported to the plant via Dong Dieu pumping station in district 8, before being discharged into the environment after being treated to meet standards.
It is expected that when the Water Environment Improvement Project Phase 3 is completed, the Tau Hu - Ben Nghe - Doi - Te canals will be completely green again, contributing to creating a premise for the development of the city's economy, society, tourism and waterway transport.
In addition to Binh Hung plant, Ho Chi Minh City also has two other wastewater treatment plants: Tham Luong - Ben Cat with a capacity of 131,000 m³/day and Binh Hung Hoa with a capacity of 30,000 m³/day. However, the total capacity of urban domestic wastewater treatment currently only reaches about 40% of the wastewater generated each day.
In order to improve wastewater treatment capacity, Ho Chi Minh City is building an additional Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe wastewater treatment plant in Thanh My Loi ward (Thu Duc city) with a total investment of more than VND 11,000 billion, of which VND 9,560 billion is a loan from the World Bank (WB). When completed in 2025, this plant will have a treatment capacity of up to 480,000m³/day, helping to increase the city's wastewater treatment rate to 71%. Wastewater from districts 1, 3, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh and the old district 2 will be collected and treated before being discharged into the Saigon River and Dong Nai River.
100% wastewater treated by 2030
With a long-term vision, Ho Chi Minh City aims to collect and treat all domestic wastewater in 12 drainage basins, with a total volume of about 3 million m³ per day, by 2030. This will not only help reduce pollution but also create conditions for sustainable development for the city.
One of the important projects in this goal is the Tham Luong - Ben Cat - Nuoc Len canal renovation project with an investment of 8,200 billion VND. The project is expected to be completed in 2025, helping to prevent flooding and treat wastewater for districts 12, Binh Tan, Tan Phu, Tan Binh, Go Vap, Binh Thanh, and Binh Chanh.
In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to start two projects to improve drainage and wastewater systems and adapt to climate change in the West Saigon basin and Tham Luong - Ben Cat basin with a total investment of more than VND 16,000 billion.
According to Dr. Pham Viet Thuan - Director of the Institute of Natural Resources and Environment Economics, Tham Luong - Ben Cat - Nuoc Len canal has two main branches and is subject to two different flow regimes. When the tide rises, water will flow from Binh Thanh and Go Vap districts to District 12. On the contrary, the natural flow of this canal is from District 12 to Tan Phu and Binh Tan districts. Therefore, to rescue this canal, it is necessary to clearly understand its water system in order to connect and bring water back for proper treatment.
In addition, according to Mr. Thuan, it is necessary to separate the wastewater treatment at Tan Binh Industrial Park from the project, because the treatment of domestic wastewater and industrial wastewater is completely different. If the wastewater from Tan Binh Industrial Park is allowed to mix together, no factory will be able to handle it.
