Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are preparing to relocate over 26,000 residents along a canal to carry out a project aimed at purifying and improving the waterway.

For several years, heavy contamination from garbage and household wastewater in District 8’s Doi (Twin) Canal wreaked havoc on the canal’s marine life and left a foul odor lingering over the area.

According to Nguyen Van Dung, a local citizen, the channel used to be a clean waterway perfect for fishing and swimming.

Local authorities are planning to return the polluted canal to its original state, though the renovation will be at the expense of relocating 26,000 people living along the southern bank of the nine kilometer waterway.

Vo Van Ngon, a local resident who settled along the channel in the 1970s, expressed his support for the movement, though he is concerned over where he and his family will live once construction begins.

Ngon runs a small grocery business at his home, an enterprise which could be difficult to continue if he is relocated to a small alley or an apartment building.

According to a local resident, competent authorities completed their evaluation, measurement, and surveying phases in September.

 As residents along the canal agreed to be relocated, they were not shy in expressing hope that authorities will properly execute their plan to give a much-needed facelift to the channel.

Seeking a competent investor

The improvement project for the Doi Canal was approved by vice-chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Van Khoa .

According to a local company that intended to invest in the project, the total expense is estimated at over VND9 trillion (US$399.2 million), VND4.6 trillion ($204 million) of which about will be used for relocating residents displaced by the project.

The plan also calls for the construction of a road and a green tree park adjacent to the waterway.

Vice-chairman Khoa has also required that competent authorities conduct careful evaluations in the selction process for an appropriate investor.

Businesses that wish to contribute to the plan can submit their own proposals, which will be evaluated by local authorities as per regulations.

Experts stated that the water quality in the channel will gradually improve once residents are relocated and their waste is no longer discharged into the canal.

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