Scores of canals in HCMC remain heavily polluted and blocked by garbage but their rehabilitation has put on hold since 2009 due to the lack of funding and equipment.

Nuoc Den Canal, one of the many canals in Binh Tan District that
 are seriously polluted by household waste.

Recent statistics from the HCMC Steering Committee for the Urban Flood Control Program show that there are currently 41 polluted and clogged canals in the city.

In late August, the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment sent a proposal to the city government concerning the transfer of the responsibility for canal pollution control to district authorities and relevant agencies.

In the proposal, Nguyen Van Phuoc, deputy director of the environment department, said canal management in the city was now based on functionality, with 909 canals for drainage, 87 for inland waterway transport, two for river travel, 16 for national inland waterway transport and 1,245 for other purposes with a total length of over 2,300 kilometers.

Previously, trash collections were only done at four large canals: Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe, Tan Hoa-Lo Gom, Doi-Te and Tau Hu-Ben Nghe.

However, the job has been suspended since 2009 as the city’s government transferred it to district authorities and functional agencies. But the lack of funds and equipment is a major hindrance, said Phuoc.

The environment department suggested it only manage the major canals such as Tau Hu-Ben Nghe, Doi-Te, Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe, and Tan Hoa-Lo Gom.

Meanwhile, the districts and relevant agencies will be responsible for others that pass through their areas. The district governments should make plans for waste collection along the canals for which they are responsible.

Through this decentralization, the districts will have to find ways to prevent citizens from dumping garbage into the canals and strictly handle violations.

According to the Center for Water Quality and Environment under the Southern Institute for Water Resources Planning, a number of canals in HCMC are severely polluted, including Thay Cai and An Ha in Cu Chi, Canal B and Canal C in Binh Chanh, Ba Nup and Tran Quang Co in Hoc Mon, and Tan Tru and Hy Vong in Tan Binh.

SGT