"Xuyen Tam Canal: The slum area in the heart of Saigon, waiting for renovation for nearly 20 years.

Nearly 20 years have passed since the Xuyen Tam Canal renovation project was approved, and after several restarts, it remains at a standstill, causing more than 2,000 households to suffer from pollution from waste, alongside the risk of danger from severely deteriorating homes.

Slums in Saigon are currently concentrated in many districts, especially Binh Thanh, Go Vap, and District 12. These areas are often small, cramped, and lack the necessary amenities and infrastructure to meet the needs of residents. Therefore, people often have to live in old, narrow houses without proper sanitation and clean water. Today, we will explore the slum area called "Xuyen Tam Canal," one of the most famous slum areas in Saigon.

The Xuyen Tam Canal starts from the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal (Binh Thanh District) and flows to the Vam Thuat River (Go Vap District), with a length of 6.2km. This is considered the most polluted canal in Saigon. Therefore, since May 2002, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has approved the Xuyen Tam Canal renovation project, which includes environmental improvement, infrastructure construction, and exploitation of land resources along the canal.

Source: Internet

The project was approved more than 17 years ago, but it has remained stagnant despite several restarts. The locals have to endure increasingly polluted conditions due to accumulated waste, along with severely degraded slums that cannot be rebuilt, turning many people's hopes into disappointment. Regarding the project's progress, Mr. Phuong stated that it is currently stuck in the call for investment, as the total investment capital required is too high. The initial estimated total investment was around VND 4,000 billion, including more than VND 1,000 billion for site clearance compensation and more than VND 2,000 billion for construction. However, the cost of site clearance compensation alone has increased to over VND 3,700 billion.

In response to this situation, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has recently issued a document requesting units to expedite the progress of the dredging project, environmental improvement, infrastructure construction, and land exploitation along the Xuyen Tam Canal.

Accordingly, the Urban Infrastructure Investment Management Board was instructed to urgently complete the proposal for public investment in the dredging project, environmental improvement, infrastructure construction, and land exploitation along the Xuyen Tam Canal.

On the afternoon of October 27, Nha dau tu journalists noted that the area with the most severe pollution in Ho Chi Minh City (Xuyen Tam Canal, Binh Thanh District) was surrounded by slums that were in danger of severe degradation, and underneath the floors of these houses were various kinds of domestic waste piled up or floating on the surface of the canal, accompanied by a strong foul smell.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment, part of the waste overflowing into the canal is generated by the residents living along the canal. In addition, the Xuyen Tam Canal system is currently receiving wastewater from 40% of Binh Thanh District's population.

Furthermore, during high tides, waste from other places flows into the canal, causing increasing levels of pollution, leading to many pests such as rats, flies, and mosquitoes, causing illnesses.

To combat this situation, the local government has placed a barrier to prevent waste from flowing from the Xuyen Tam Canal to the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, and has also begun to collect the waste.

However, the amount of waste is too large, and the lack of awareness of some sectors has caused the canal to remain polluted.

Here are some pictures of Xuyen Tam Canal:

The small bridge, about 2m wide, connecting the two banks of Xuyen Tam canal, is also in poor condition.

The pollution in Xuyen Tam canal is a condition for rats, bugs, flies and mosquitoes to breed and cause diseases.

In addition, temporary houses have been built by people for a long time, facing the risk of unsafety when they are increasingly degraded.

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