Officials in Vietnam have demanded a suspension on the construction of a fruit park with blueprints calling for encroachment on a large section of river in southern Vietnam, pending a re-evaluation of the project’s environmental impact.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has asked the People’s Committee in Tien Giang Province to suspend the park project along the Tien (Front) River, a source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper said on Wednesday.

The park spans about 9.78 hectares in Cai Be District, Tien Giang, in the Mekong Delta.

Plans for the project call for about 6.8 hectares of water surface at the confluence of the Tien (Front) River and Cai Be River to be reclaimed, requiring 695,399 cubic meters, or 434,618 metric tons, of sand.

Some 54,149 square meters of the reclaimed land will be preserved for a green tree park and fruit garden, while the rest of the area will be dedicated to traffic infrastructure, diners, cafés, and other tourism and service facilities.

An 800-meter long embankment has been formed to prepare for the filling. Photo: Tuoi Tre

An 800-meter long embankment has been formed to facilitate this process.

While the project developer is optimistic about the implementation, local residents and experts are concerned that changes to the natural torrent of the river could result in the subsidence of nearby riverbanks.

In its request, the environmental ministry stated that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of the project must be re-evaluated by an authorized state agency, as the Tien River is an inter-provincial waterway.

Until then, the construction will be temporarily halted, the ministry stated.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!