Ho Chi Minh City is calling for investment to 17 flood prevention and wastewater treatment projects, and needs more than 96 trillion VND (4.12 billion USD) for the works from now to 2020.

A flooded street in Ho Chi Minh City

Of the total, the city budget can ensure around 16 trillion VND (687 million USD), and the State budget will allocate 588 billion VND (25.2 million USD), according to a report delivered at a conference calling for investment to the city’s flood prevention and wastewater treatment solutions, which was held by the municipal People’s Committee on August 9.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said that there are many causes of flooding in the city. Therefore, it is necessary to find out the root cause so as to have a suitable solution.

To create favourable conditions for investors, the city will focus on adjusting water drainage and flood prevention plans, and build a map demonstrating its flood situation.

“Municipal authorities hope domestic and foreign financial organisations, investors and enterprises will work out solutions and invest in projects following the public-private partnership form,” Tuyen stated. “During the implementation process, the city commits openness and transparency”.

Nguyen Hoang Anh Dung, deputy director of the city’s steering centre of urban flood control programmes, said the city’s master plan on water drainage system approved by the Prime Minister in 2001 stipulates that with an area of 581.51 sq.km, the city needs 6,000km of sewers of all kinds.

However, at present, the sewer system has a total length of only 4,176km, or equal to 69.6 percent.

By 2020, the city also needs to build 12 wastewater treatment plants with a total capacity of over 3 million cu.m per day. But now construction only completes on Binh Hung plant with a capacity of 141,000 cu.m per day and Tham Luong plant with a capacity of 131,000 cu.m.

At the conference, participants also introduced and proposed several solutions and technologies to cope with flood and improve wastewater treatment.

A study conducted by the National University of HCM City in District 7 showed that the average annual loss from flooding was 13 million VND (565 USD) per household, 13.4 million VND (582 USD) per household business, and 24 million VND (1,050 USD) per enterprise.

The cost includes repair of floors, walls and electrical equipment; dredging of drainage systems inside and outside the house; and time spent to move and repair belongings and furniture.

Companies incur additional costs because they lose about four work days each year, according to the study.

Other losses include forced leave from work and lost time in traffic jams, all of which can reach up to the equivalent of a total of 90 billion VND (3.94 million USD) per year.-VNA