Work on $222M Water Supply Project Starts in Hanoi to Ease Shortage

Vietnam Construction and Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation (Vinaconex) has kicked off construction of a water supply project costing VND5 trillion ($222 million) to ease the shortage that affects hundreds of thousands of urban dwellers. The construction will cover 46 kilometers in west of Hanoi to bring water from Da river, which originates in China, to serve the city’s residents. The project will be divided into two phases with the first to complete in May 2016 and the second by 2019. Vinaconex builds the water pipeline after its first repeatedly broke since 2012 due to low-quality Chinese pipeline. The pipeline broke 15 times in the past three years, affecting life of more than 70,000 households. Vinaconex’s General Director Vu Quy Ha said that the investor chose better pipes for the second project. Once put into completion, the water plant will have capacity of 600,000 cubic meter/day. With an aim to ease water shortage in Hanoi, the local authorities have proposed the government to grant it special mechanism in which allows it to use the city’s development fund for an emergency water supply project that will cost VND864 billion ($38.4 million). The pipeline has capacity of 70,000 cubic meters. Currently, Hanoi falls short of between 40,000 cu.m of water and 60,000 cu.m per day. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Vietnam – Vietnam Economic Times Oct 7 p12, VietNamNet Oct 7)