Clogged: Clean-up teams use small boats to pick up garbage in inner city canals. — VNS Photo

Ho Chi Minh City waterways choking on dumped waste

HCM CITY — Waterways in Ho Chi Minh City have become dumping grounds for all kinds of waste, according to reports from the city’s Environment Department.

The rivers and canals are clogged with urban waste, construction materials and untreated medical refuse.

Every day, the 180,000 city dwellers who live alongside its 70km stretch of waterways dump about 150 tonnes of waste into the water.

These tributaries absorb up to one-third of HCM City’s daily waste.

Other private enterprises, industrial or semi-industrial, dump their waste straight into the water without treatment.

This practice has turned the city’s water into a black, stagnant pool, riddled with organic and solid waste.

This waste causes problems for boats trying to navigate the canals as it gets stuck in their engines.

"Many vehicles swerve out of control, they may smash into other vehicles, get stuck or even capsize," said Ta Vinh Anh, director of HCM City’s Waterways.

The city’s waste collection network concentrates on waste left on the ground.

Private waste collectors only pay attention to collecting fees in residential areas. Some locals report they have been asked to categorise their waste.

As a result, many have opted to leave their garbage on the street or dump it in the canals.

At the moment, five waterways under the city’s planning controls – including the newly embanked Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal – are full of waste.

The city has set up a task force to collect the rubbish from rivers and canals.

The local river management board of the city’s transport department put forward a proposal to clean up the mess, but the department said it was not feasible.

The authorities then passed the buck and assigned the clean-up to the Urban Environment Company.

Bui Trong Hieu, the company’s deputy director, said a new proposal was now being drawn up.

Teams will be responsible for picking up waste from a specific segment of canal.

Small boats will cover smaller tributaries, while bigger canoes head for larger canals.

But even if this project is approved soon, it won’t get started until next year, Hieu said. In the meantime, the environmental problem will worsen.

Locals say that before rushing into a large-scale project, the authorities should organise small, mobile teams who can work with the tides.

Fines should be imposed on those caught dumping waste in public.

Environmentalists want the authorities to tighten their control to ensure a clean and healthy environmental for all residents. — VNS

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