The provincial Binh Duong People’s Committee on August 31 signed off on the second phase of a cooperative project with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to improve the quality of water in the province.

The project aims to improve the living environment for the community in Thuan An town, including the polluted Ba Bo Canal.

The Ba Bo Canal, running through Thu Duc district in Ho Chi Minh City and districts of Di An, Thuan An in Binh Duong province, was contaminated by large amounts of wastewater discharged by surrounding industrial parks and nearly 10,000 households.

According to JICA, the project is feasible, making great contributions to protecting the environment and improving living conditions for the peoples living in the area.

JICA said that it is committed to urge the Japanese government to provide ODA loans for the province.

In the first phase of the project, JICA granted more than 1.5 trillion VND in ODA loans to the province to build a wastewater treatment plant with a daily capacity of 17,650 cu.m in Thu Dau Mot town.

The project, expected to be completed and put into operation by 2013, will collect domestic wastewater from more than 50,000 people in Thu Dau Mot town./.