Spain Helps Vietnam City Tackle River Pollution

The Spanish government will provide a financial assistance to Ho Chi Minh City to carry out a project to deal with pollution in the Saigon River. The project will focus on assessing the pollution level and discussing measures to prevent wastewater sources, said the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Spain will also send its technical experts to the city to implement the project, the Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper reported Thursday. Some 70,000 cubic meters of wastewater are discharged into the river a day, the municipal Department of Science and Technology and Southern Hydrometeorology and Environment Sub-Institute said. The volume of untreated water to be dumped into the river is forecast to rise four or five times by end-2020 if the local authorities do not act now.  The Saigon River is the main water source for Tan Hiep Water Plant in HCM City.