JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Work on major water treatment plant in Hanoi moves at snail’s pace amid supply shortage

Work on major water treatment plant in Hanoi moves at snail’s pace amid supply shortage

Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 16:07 GMT+7
Work on major water treatment plant in Hanoi moves at snail’s pace amid supply shortage
A bird’s-eye view of the Red River surface water treatment plant project in Hanoi. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

Many parts of Hanoi are facing a severe water supply shortage, while a water treatment plant project using surface water from the Hong (Red) River is moving at a slow pace eight years after its work started.

Over the past few days, tens of thousands of residents in Hanoi have been experiencing water supply interruption, turning their daily life upside down.

Water supply dearths have been hitting Thanh Ha Urban Area in Cu Khe Commune, Thanh Oai District for 10 days. Locals are staying awake throughout the night to fetch water from tank trucks.

Hanoi authorities ordered the Red River surface water treatment plant with a capacity of 300,000 cubic meters per day to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

The project was set to get off the ground in the fourth quarter of 2015 and to be completed five years later at a total cost of some VND3.7 trillion (US$150.4 million).

The plant was planned to start operation in the first quarter of 2021.

However, the project is nearly 90 percent complete.

The Red River surface water treatment facility project is set to carry a price tag of some VND3.7 trillion ($150.4 million), and covers 20.5 hectares of land in Dan Phuong District, Hanoi. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

The Red River surface water treatment facility project is set to carry a price tag of some VND3.7 trillion, and covers 20.5 hectares of land in Dan Phuong District, Hanoi. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

The project faced paperwork roadblocks, leading to its slow progress, said an official from the People’s Committee of Dan Phuong District, where it is located.

Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, vice-chairman of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that Hanoi’s water supply shortage might be widespread.

Nghiem attributed the severe shortage to long-stalled water treatment plant projects, mainly the facility using the surface water source from the Red River, and worsening climate change.

Nguyen Ngoc Diep, chairman of the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association, cited some studies as saying that most groundwater in Hanoi, mainly in the south of the capital city, is contaminated.

During groundwater exploitation for hundreds of years, residents have failed to follow well burying and filling standards, resulting in pollution.

The city is moving toward phasing out groundwater exploitation, while developing major surface water treatment plants to eliminate water pollution and subsidence, Diep said.

A group of workers are at work at the construction site of a water treatment plant project that will use surface water from the Red River. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

A group of workers are at work at the construction site of a water treatment plant project that will use surface water from the Red River in Hanoi. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

The Red River surface water treatment facility project scheduled to be put in use in the first quarter of 2021, but it is just 90 percent complete. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

The Red River surface water treatment facility project was scheduled to be put to use in the first quarter of 2021, but it is just 90 percent complete. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

Workers install a water pipe at the Red River surface water treatment plant project in Hanoi on October 23, 2023. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

Workers install a water pipe at the Red River surface water treatment plant project in Hanoi, October 23, 2023. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

Work on the Red River surface water treatment plant project moves at a snail’s pace, while hundreds of residents in Hanoi are facing a severe shortage of water. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

Work on the Red River surface water treatment plant project moves at a snail’s pace, while hundreds of residents in Hanoi are facing a severe shortage of water. Photo: Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre

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

Tieu Bac - Hong Quang / Tuoi Tre News

More

Read more

;

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Latest news