Authorities in Vietnam’s southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City have proposed the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) continue granting official development assistance (ODA) for its sanitation project. The money would be used for the third phase of a wastewater treatment project in two canals around the city, Le Hoang Quan, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said at a working session on Feb 25 with Akihito Tanaka, president of the JICA. Currently, the city is conducting the second phase of the project and targets to raise the wastewater treatment capacity by three times to 450,000 cubic meters per day. Ho Chi Minh City is facing serious water pollution as the majority of wastewater is discharged into canals and rivers without being treated properly. The city is home to more than 2,000 kilometers of canals but its wastewater treatment capacity remains poor. (Tuoi Tre – Youth Feb 26 p2)
