Having just had a meeting with provincial leaders on the progress of the Di An Drainage and Wastewater Treatment Project in the area, Dr. Abedalrasq Khali, a senior expert on water resources of the World Bank field trip survey.
Leaders of Di An Town and the Investor of Di An Drainage and Wastewater Treatment Project in Di An area check the construction progress Photo: Duy Chi
Dr. Abedalrasq Khali said that the Di An Drainage and Wastewater Project has achieved a very good progress. People living along both sides of the project as well as the affected area are very happy because the project has helped solve the flood and pollution concern that has lasted for many years. He found the satisfaction of the people to receive adequate support and compensation when houses, land, buildings, household items were affected, damaged during construction.
- What does clean water and wastewater collection and treatment mean in the process of urban development, sir?
- Clean water is clear. Water is not only an essential part of life, but also one of the important factors contributing to ensuring human health towards sustainable development. The right to safe and clean water is one of the basic human rights. The state is responsible for ensuring these rights for the people.
In order to have a sustainable clean water source, waste water collection and treatment is a necessary requirement because water is naturally circulating. Doing well the task of collecting and treating wastewater not only demonstrates the responsibility to protect the environment but also the concern to protect the health of the people and the community; contributing to improving the competitiveness of the province, the country and more is the goal and strategy for developing high quality and comprehensive human resources.
- WB is the main sponsor for Vietnam through the Urban Water Supply and Wastewater Project, including the Di An Drainage and Wastewater Subproject Project. As the head of this project, can you tell us some comments as well as the ranking on the efficiency of capital use of Binh Duong province?
- WB implemented the project with the participation of 15 provinces and cities, including Binh Duong. Our goal is to contribute to the improvement of water supply and wastewater collection and treatment, as well as to reduce flooding for the current urban areas. Currently, the project is progressing well, more than planned by the Government of Vietnam.
I myself am more happy that Binh Duong has entered the second cycle of using World Bank loans. The first cycle of Binh Duong used in the project to improve the water supply. This project is very effective, not only ensuring the supply of clean water that meets the standards of daily-life, industrial and urban development needs of the province but also partially meets the demand for clean water in the countryside, since then. create momentum to reach out to support your province (Chon Thanh Water Plant, Binh Phuoc).
The first cycle of Binh Duong effectively used loans. The provincial government has asked the WB to continue supporting the second cycle of the Urban Drainage and Wastewater Subproject Sub-project in Di An area. Up to now, the project has formed a main pipeline network of over 10 km with a system of secondary and tertiary pipelines to access small roads and households with a fairly large length, along with a treatment plant. Waste water treatment capacity of 17,500m3 / day and night. The project has connected over 6,000 households. It is expected that by 2025 the plant will reach its designed capacity and the province will build more factories to meet the development requirements of the region and the Di An Town.
I do not give ranking results. But I have proposed and been approved by the Country Director of the World Bank in Vietnam and have directly discussed and agreed with the provincial leaders that the World Bank would like to see Binh Duong as a model of the whole country for using effective development loans.
- Sir, with the experience of an expert, what suggestions do you have to make the project better promote the value of investment?
- Today is thanks to the vision and determination of the provincial leaders, the project investor is Binh Duong Water - Environment Joint Stock Company. Following this development momentum, the province has to expand its waste water treatment capacity concurrently with climate change coping solutions that are likely to cause flooding due to heavy rain and rising water. In this regard, the province should embark as soon as possible. The World Bank is ready to provide support as requested by the province.
I personally find the project has many creative elements, suitable for natural conditions such as long, zigzag canals. During the survey of design and construction, the province has kept the status quo, and modernized by combining closed ditches to make roads, open ditches to increase the work's beauty. In particular, with a small amount of land but having to ensure the task of drainage and environmental sanitation for a large area, the investor designed a U-shaped vertical wall project combining people's roads instead of trapezoidal to saving urban land while promoting the efficiency of water drainage and pollution prevention, bringing beauty to the urban area. And next time is the use, operation and maintenance of the project. I think Binh Duong will do better!
- Thank you!
Interviewed by Duy Chi – Translated by Vi Bao
