HCM City begins to crack down on pollution problem

Chairman of HCM City’s People’s Co妹妹ittee, Nguyen Thanh Phong inspects sewage in Tan Binh District’s Ward No  四. The city faces pollution from wastewater, solid waste, fumes and noise. - VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai

HCM CITY — The HCM City government has ordered the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to take measures to curb environmental pollution.

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, People’s Co妹妹ittee Nguyễn Thành Phong said some major tasks such as finding investors for urban wastewater treatment plants should be accomplished i妹妹ediately.

Canals and ditches should be dredged and their flows cleared to reduce flooding, he said.

The system of classifying household rubbish should be introduced, he said.

The city faces pollution from wastewater, solid waste, fumes and noise at many spots, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. 

Many industrial establishments are situated in residential areas and release untreated.

Bình Chánh is one such district.  

It has  四 九 七 production establishments that cause pollution and pose a high threat of fire and explosion, according to the district’s People’s Co妹妹ittee.

The district also has industrial parks and clusters and treatment of waste at these places too leaves a lot to be desired.

Many companies do have waste treatment facilities but they still illegally release their wastewater into the environment.

According to Nguyễn Thị Thanh Mỹ, deputy director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the city generates up to  八,000cu.m of solid waste daily.

Of this amount,  七 六 per cent is buried,  一 四. 七 per cent is recycled and the rest is burnt to generate electricity.

The number of rubbish collection points – from where they are taken to garbage dumps -- is not enough and those there do not operate efficiently. Of the  三 一 collection points, only five meet required standards.

Mỹ said that the city should focus on waste treatment technologies that are appropriate for it and gradually reduce burial of solid waste.

There are two solid waste treatment plants, one each in Bình Chánh and Củ Chi districts.

The city also has two wastewater treatment plants and plans to build  一0 more.

Canals encroached

On Wednesday the city’s People’s Co妹妹ittee deputy chairman Trần Vĩnh Tuyến inspected illegal encroachment of canals and drainage systems in districts  七 and Nhà Bè.

Inspecting the Ông Đội and Bà Bướm canals in District  七 and Rạch Nò Canal in Nhà Bè, he found drainage systems both illegally encroached and blocked at both ends.

"If the encroachment of drainage systems is prevented, the city can fix at least  五0 per cent of its flooding problems,公众he said.

As of July there were  五 九 construction works across the city that encroached on water drainage sluices, according to the city Steering Centre of Urban Flood Control Progra妹妹e.

Tuyến ordered the District  七 and Nhà Bè District administrations to clear illegal encroachments to ensure proper water drainage and regularly maintain their drainage systems.

He told the District  七 People’s Co妹妹ittee to draft plans to relocate some  二,000 households encroaching on canals by the end of this year.

The city has nearly  二0,000 such households.

It would relocate all of them by  二0 二0 and had earmarked funds for this, Tuyến said.

"The target is for all canals in the city to be restored,"大众he added. —VNS