The Wastewater Treatment Plant in HCM City, which began construction in 2005, was put into operation on the 26th December, 2008, witnessed by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, a representative of the Vietnamese Government and the Japanese Consul in HCM City, Masaaki Gokura.
This plant is an essential and indispensable component of the water environment improvement project, which has been an urgent task of the HCM City People’s Committee as of March 2000, mitigated by the rampant flood problems in the central districts of the city. The problem was hoped to be made better through the improvement of drainage capacity, as well as the improvement of the urban living environment and hygiene of the area through water quality improvement and the establishment of sewerage facility. The Japanese Government provided ODA (official development assistance) loans for this project totaling JPY 23,994 million, through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), under two loan agreements signed in 2001 and 2003. The repayment period of the loan is 30 years, including a 10-year grace period, with the interest rates at 1.3% and 1.8% per annum respectively. The Feasibility Study and the Detail Design of the project were also implemented under Japan’s ODA, through Development Studies Scheme of JICA.With the capacity to treat waste water flow of 141,000cu.m a day, it is the first large-scale waste water treatment plant in the country. The plant was constructed with Japanese technology by a consortium of Japanese contractors, comprising of Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ebara Corporation and Shimizu Corporation, and under the supervision of Pacific Consultant International. In his speech at the inauguration ceremony of this plant, on December 26, 2008 the Chief Representative of JICA, Motonori Tsuno, stressed that effective operation of the wastewater treatment plant will set a good example for the country to concur issues of water contamination and pollution in the river systems. He also expressed commitment of JICA to provide further assistance to strengthen the administrative capacity of HCM City for dealing with wastewater treatment. The Japanese Government resumed ODA to Vietnam since November 1992 and loans have been provided annually since then. At present, the cumulative commitment of Japanese ODA loans to Vietnam has reached JPY 1,251 billion, covering 66 development projects and 8 commodity loans.
