Hoang The Trung, former director of the Da River pipeline project was arrested in Hanoi on May 8 on charges of mismanagement and failure to discharge due responsibilities.

The pipeline was built to bring water from the river to Hanoi, but it suffered as many as 10 breaches in the last four years, causing a lot of difficulties for residents.

Trung is alleged to have failed to fulfill his duties as project director in monitoring and supervising the project's construction process as well as overlooking numerous shortcomings in the contractors' capabilities.

Also on the day, police arrested Cao Van Bang, former director of a Vinaconex affiliate, which supplied the project with pipes.

The Ministry of Construction had concluded that the main causes for the breaks in the pipeline were substandard pipes and shoddy construction, compounded by construction work on the Thang Long Expressway.

After the pipe broke in last July, the Ministry of Public Security started an investigation to identify individuals and organisations responsible for the failure.

The construction of a new 28km-long pipeline running parallel to the current one is set to begin this August to ensure stable water supply for the city's residents in case the old one experiences another breakdown.

VOV