Abandoned construction sites up Hanoi’s debts

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Some expensive construction works built within the new-style rural development programme in Hanoi have either never been used or are rarely used.

A 20 billion VND (880,000 USD) water factory with two water pumping stations in the outer Chuong My district’s Thuy Huong commune has been abandoned for years, even though the commune is a new rural area – an achievement for which constructing the factory was considered a criterion, the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported.

A local resident Dang Dinh Van, 60, said the factory never became operational. “The stations cost dozens of billions of dong to build, but we haven’t had a drop of water from them and had to dig wells to get water ourselves,” he said.

Nguyen Huu Lam, chairman of the commune’s vegetable cooperative, said one of the two stations has been providing water for the cooperative.

The stations were designed to serve the commune’s plan of developing 79.5ha of vegetable planting areas, he added. However, since local farmers can only maintain 5ha due to low consumption, only one station currently works, he said.

Nguyen Huu Thang, Chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee, said that the two water stations have been idle since local residents have no demand to use them. They will be able to operate normally upon the residents’ request, he said.

A water factory in the outer Phuc Tho district’s Vong Xuyen commune is in a similar situation. Launched five years ago at a total cost of 9 billion VND (396,000 USD), it has been operating at only 20 percent of total capacity.

A representative from Vong Xuyen commune’s People’s Committee said that local authorities only began managing the water factory at the beginning of this year. Its idleness is due to a lack of specialised operating officials, and moderate demand of residents in nearby neighbourhoods, he said.

The inactivity of these construction works are part of the reason for the outstanding debt of some localities to the State within the new rural development programme, said Le Thiet Cuong, manager of the Hanoi Rural Development Branch.

The capital city’s total amount of outstanding debt is 120 billion VND (5.23 million USD), most of which belongs to the outer districts of Ba Vi and Quoc Oai, he said. Thuy Huong commune has the biggest outstanding debt among the communes, reaching 30 billion VND (1.3 million USD), he added.

Cuong said that the branch has directed the Chuong My People’s Committee to help Thuy Huong farmers restructure their farming methods so that both water stations can become operational.

For the Vong Xuyen water factory to operate at full capacity, local residents should be aware of the importance of using filtered water and agree to use water from the factory instead of rain water and water from wells, he said.

The new rural development scheme aims to build new-style rural areas to lift the material and spiritual living standards of people.-VNA