The project to curb tidal flooding in Ho Chi Minh City may fail to be ready by April 30 due to lack of construction ground.

The drain by Muong Chuoi River

According to Nguyen Tam Tien, vice head of Trung Nam Group, the project's investor, the project is 68% completed and eight months ahead of schedule. There are six tidal drains that are 40 to 160 metres wide and a 7.8km embankment along the Saigon River to protect key parts and smaller drains that are one to 10 metres wide.

The drain by Muong Chuoi River is the biggest construction with four tidal valves that are 40 metres wide each. The drain in Phu Xuan Commune is basically completed and the drain by Muong Chuoi River has its roof done.

Tien said they were on the roll but district authorities were slow in ground clearance so they were stuck now and couldn't start building a control centre and other supporting constructions. As a result, they won't meet the date to complete the project on time. Tien said he was not sure when the project would be done.

"Our construction workers will be able to take seven days off for the Tet Holiday. It's no use even if they work through Tet," he said.

The VND10trn (USD440m) project was started in June 2016 and is expected to be completed on April 30. It is hoped to prevent tidal flooding for 6.5 million people in HCM City that are living in a 570-square-kilometre area.

Dtinews