Over the last decade, Saigon's Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal has undergone a serious transformation.
Thanks to a World Bank-funded clean-up project, city officials have managed to beautify large sections of the 8.7-kilometer waterway, adding sidewalks and bridges, as well as making the water clean enough to launch a series of boat tours for travelers.
However 'clean' is a relative word, it seems, as Tuoi Tre reports local residents are dumping an estimated five and 14 tons of trash into the canal everyday.
As you might expect, this is bad news for the city's ongoing cleanup efforts. In an effort to combat pollution, Saigon's Department of Natural Resources and Environment has upped its cleaning services from 20 boats plying Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe once every other day to a daily program in effort to keep the water clean, however city officials are also stressing the importance of cooperation from local residents.
Hopefully, these efforts will lead to improvement. The World Bank-funded project to revamp the canal began in 2002 and has grown by leaps and bounds since then. The next phase of the project, which began in May, includes the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, while the revival of the Tan Hoa Canal is also underway.
[Photo via Ky Luc]
