At the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Van Binh said that WB has been paying a special attention to infrastructure development of HCMC with 4 large projects valued at US$ 600 million, making important contributions to the improvement of urban transport infrastructure and of environment, providing clean water to local people. These projects include construction of waste collection and water drainage system (80km); preferential funding for 45,000 households with low incomes at projects of Tan Hoa-Lo Gom,  Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe canals. These projects enhance rearrangement of urban areas through upgrading and modernizing Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal, building bridges such as Cau Bong, Le Van Si, Kieu and Hau Giang, etc.

Mrs. Victoria Kwakwa said that the signed agreement aims to improve HCMC’s environment, enhancing management of environment and of waste water sustainably, raising awareness on benefits of improved sanitation practices. The project helps HCMC complete its targets of better serving local people, especially poor people through creating conditions for them to access new infrastructure projects.

For his part, Mr. Le Hoang Quan said that HCMC commits to implement the project “HCMC environment sanitation – Phase 2” on time, ensuring quality and preventing any corruption related to the project. He hoped that WB continues to fund for projects of HCMC in the time ahead, support the city to implement other important infrastructure projects.

The project: “HCMC’s environment sanitation – Phase 2” has a total value of US$ 527 million of which US$ 250 will be financed through a loan from International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and a US$ 200 million credit through International Development Association (IDA). HCMC will provide US$45 million from its own resources.

The project consists of a sewer system with a 3.2 diameters and 9km length from East well to waste water treatment plant in Thanh My Loi Ward, District 2; a waste water treatment plant with a capacity of 480,000m3; sewer networks (level 2, 3) and house connections to the network will be installed in parts of district 2.

The project will be implementing from 2015 to 2020. Once completed, it will meet demands of waste water and sewage treatment in Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal and in District 2. The wastewater will be treated to meet standard A before discharging to Saigon River, contributing to ecosystem conservation of Saigon River and downstream Dong Nai River as well as urban renewal.