The first phase of HCM City Environmental Sanitation Project is expected to be completed by the end of this month, as scheduled, according to the project management board.

Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal

Thuan made a progress report to the chairman of the city's People's Committee, Le Hoang Quan, during his on-site study tour on Wednesday.

Rainwater as well as waste water discharged by around 1.2 million households in seven districts in the city will run through the 8.9-kilometre-long culvert system with a diametre of three metres under the Nhieu Loc- Thi Nghe Canal and pour into a 64,000cu.m per hour pumping station.

The pumping station, built at a cost of US$18 million, is equipped with a waste filtration system to remove contaminants from collected rainwater and household waste water before the water is poured into the Sai Gon River.

Culverts in districts 1, 3, 10, Phu Nhuan, Binh Thanh, Tan Binh and Go Vap are connected to the culvert system placed under the canal to flow into the pumping station, which is expected to be put into operation in July.

A waste water treatment plant with a capacity of 480,000cu.m per day will be built in District 2's Thanh My Loi Ward during the second phase of the project. It will treat contaminated water before pumping into the Sai Gon River.

The second phase of the project, expected to be implemented between 2015 and 2019, will include construction of an 8-kilometre-long culvert system with a diameter of 3.2 metres to transport waste water from Nhieu Loc- Thi Nghe Canal to the waste water treatment plant.

The second phase will include completion of the collection and treatment of waste water in the basin of Nhieu Loc- Thi Nghe Canal and District 2.

The second phase of the project is estimated to cost a total of $470 million, of which $450 million will come from Official Development Assistance loans from the World Bank and the remaining $20 million from local counter capital.