River-encroaching Project Poses Threat to Ho Chi Minh City Water Supply Safety

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have voiced concerns that the controversial project to build a residential area and improve landscapes by encroaching on the Dong Nai River will affect the city’s water supply. City authorities have requested that the government of neighboring Dong Nai Province and the Dong Nai River Basin Environmental Protection Committee review all possible impacts the project may have on the downstream areas of the 586km-long river, the longest in Vietnam. The city government made the request after the Pegasus Residence project, whose developer is the Toan Thinh Phat Investment Architecture and Construction Joint Stock Company, was strongly criticized by many scientists and agencies. The project, estimated to cost VND3.2 trillion ($147.2 million), was approved by the provincial People’s Committee in May 2014. Given such opposition, on March 27, Toan Thinh Phat asked the provincial government to suspend the project, after the company had reclaimed land from the river. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City authorities said that the project will likely affect the river-sourced water supply of the city. The river flows through Lam Dong and Dak Nong Provinces in the Central Highlands, and Binh Phuoc Province, Dong Nai Province, Binh Duong Province and Ho Chi Minh City in the southern region. When the project began it faced serious objections from many experts who warned about the adverse impact it would have on the environment and people who live along the river. According to the plan to supply water to the city by 2025, which has been approved by the central government, the volume of water provided to the city from the river is about 2.5 million m³ per day. If the river-encroaching project is implemented in the future, it will likely change the river’s course and directly affect the water supply to millions of people in the city in particular and to other downstream areas of the river in general, city authorities said. Amid such concerns, the Saigon Water Supply Corporation (Sawaco) has suggested that the city government work with relevant competent agencies to re-examine the possible environmental impacts of the project. Currently, many plants are processing the water they get from the river to supply to the city and the volume of such water accounts for 68 % of the total needed by city residents, Sawaco said. The quality of the water of the river is declining for many reasons, especially increased saline penetration, so if the project is implemented, it will only exacerbate the problem, an expert from Sawaco said. At a seminar on sustainable development in river basins that was jointly held on May 12 by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations and the Institute of Legislative Studies (ILS) under the Vietnamese National Assembly, experts pointed out that the project violates many laws. They also expressed concern about the potential adverse impacts on the environment, even though the developer has suspended it. This project has also been set up irrationally and shows signs of being illegal, the Voice of Ho Chi Minh City quoted Dr. Vu Ngoc Long, head of the Southern Ecological Institute, as saying. Dr. Long said that the project has flouted the Law on Water Resources as it attempts to put barricades in the river, build architectural works in it, and plant trees that obstruct drainage and water flows. The project also infringes the Law on Environmental Protection, Law on Disaster Prevention and Control, and Law on Inland Waterway Traffic, the scientist said, without giving details. (Tuoi Tre – Youth May 25)