Ho Chi Minh City will strive to complete the long-stalled VND-10 trillion ($395.3-million) flood control project and put it into operation before December 31 this year, said municipal chairman Phan Van Mai.

The office of the municipal administration has issued a document on chairman Mai's conclusions at a meeting on February 4 with a working team responsible for the project.

After relevant departments and agencies made reports on the project, chairman Mai tasked the Department of Planning and Investment with coordinating with related units to provide documents, records, and legal papers as well as feedback on the national government’s draft resolution on removing obstacles to the project.

The department will also propose the establishment of a local appraisal council and the selection of a consulting unit for the project to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee before February 10.

The city also required negotiating and signing a build-transfer contract appendix for the project in line with the law.

Reviewing and proposing a unit managing funds to make payments for the project are also a priority in order to complete the project and put it into use before December 31.

Meanwhile, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment will work with its Land Development Center and the project investor to develop a detailed plan for the land plots designated as payment to the investor.

The department was told to hire an appraisal unit to appraise these land plots, with the appraisal process to be completed before May 31.

The flood control project in phase one includes six tidal gates and 7.8 kilometers of dykes along the Saigon River, with the aim of solving tidal flooding affecting an area of 570 square kilometers with about 6.5 million people along the riverbank and in the downtown area.

The project got off the ground in mid-2016 and was originally scheduled to reach completion in 2018, but it remains under construction.

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