Waste on the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal in Ho Chi Minh City has yet to be collected since early last month as a contract for it has expired.

At present, waste blankets the surface of the canal section in Tan Binh District.

Local residents and passers-by have expressed concerns about a foul odor emanating from the canal, particularly in the sections parallel to Truong Sa and Hoang Sa Streets in Tan Binh District.

The waterway is strewn with styrofoam boxes, plastic bags, bottles, old mattresses, water hyacinth, used household appliances, and animal carcasses, emitting a foul odor.

Images of fish and turtles struggling to escape from the garbage have broken local residents’ hearts.

Mai Thanh Liem, a 37-year-old resident of Tan Binh District, said he had seen no unit collecting garbage from the canal over the past month.

As a result, garbage piles up and emits unpleasant odor, affecting the lives of locals and the landscapes along the canal, Liem added.

A unit previously responsible for waste collection on the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, under Ho Chi Minh City Urban Environment Co. Ltd., told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the Management Center of Waterway System under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has not initiated a new tender for the collection and transport of garbage from the canal.

Despite the contract expiring on December 31 last year, the unit continued to provide the garbage collection service without charge for over a month.

However, the service had to be discontinued as the contract for it has not been extended.

The Management Center of Waterway System said that it had submitted solutions to collect waste on the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal to the municipal Department of Transport and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The center will coordinate with relevant units to conduct further steps after getting the approval from the two departments.

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