HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City authorities have proposed a 9.2 trillion VND (370 million USD) project to dredge and upgrade the Ba Lon Canal, one of the city’s seven key drainage arteries, as flooding and pollution intensify across southern areas.
The city People’s Committee has submitted the proposal to the municipal People’s Council for immediate consideration, seeking approval to launch what officials describe as a critical infrastructure intervention to protect the fast-growing southern urban zone from recurring inundation.
Stretching 7.4km from the Doi Canal in former District 8 to the Ba Lao Canal in the former Binh Chanh district, the Ba Lon Canal will be fully dredged and reinforced with nearly 10 kilometres of embankments.
The plan also calls for a new 1km road, 12-18m wide, and the construction of the Ba Lon 2 Bridge spanning National Highway 50.
The total investment, estimated at 9.23 trillion VND, allocates more than 6.6 trillion VND for land clearance and resettlement, about 2 trillion VND for construction, and the remainder for consulting, management, and contingency costs.
City planners say the canal plays a vital role in carrying stormwater from downtown areas toward the south via the Doi Canal under the city’s official flood-control master plan (Plan 1547).
But years of encroachment, waste dumping, and unregulated construction have choked the waterway, especially between the Ba Tang Bridge and Binh Dong Temple, creating major drainage bottlenecks during the rainy season.
If approved, work on the project could begin soon and continue through 2030.
Once completed, it is expected to dramatically improve the city’s flood resilience, increase water retention, and operate in tandem with the nearly 10 trillion VND tide-control project nearing completion.
The move marks the latest in a string of major anti-flooding and urban renewal efforts by Vietnam’s largest city, which has been struggling to manage rapid urbanisation and subsidence.
Other ongoing mega-projects include the Tham Luong-Ben Cat-Nuoc Len Canal (over 9 trillion VND), the Xuyen Tam Canal (17 trillion VND), and the northern bank of the Doi Canal (7.3 trillion VND).
Over the past decade, the city has transformed once-polluted waterways like Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe, Tan Hoa-Lo Gom, and Hang Bang into clean, green urban corridors.
The large-scale environmental improvement project along the Tau Hu-Ben Nghe-Doi-Te canal system has also helped cut flooding and improve water quality citywide./.
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