Close-up of the 'shelved' water plant in Nghia Dan
After more than 10 years of approval, the Nghia Dan Water Plant Project has yet to be completed.
On October 18, 2012, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision 4041/QD.UBND-DTXD, approving the Nghia Dan District Water Plant Construction Investment Project. This project is invested by Nghia Dan District People's Committee with a total investment of more than 100 billion VND. The project is implemented in Nghia Binh commune, with a capacity of 5,000m3/day and night, the goal is to provide clean water to people in Nghia Dan town and surrounding areas.
The project includes the following items: level I pumping station and raw water supply pipeline from Sao River lake to the treatment area; treatment area with capacity of 5,000m3/day and night on an area of 13,263.77m2; water supply network includes transmission, distribution, service and connection pipelines to households.
In 2013, this project was officially launched. However, after a period of construction and construction of 2 rows of houses and 2 raw water tanks, the project was ... "shelved".
Present at the project site, we noticed that, on the large plot of land, in addition to the built and abandoned items, the surrounding area was covered with weeds. Because there was no protective fence around, this area became an ideal place for people to graze buffalo and cows.
A resident living next to the project said that in 2013 the project started with great fanfare, but stopped after a few items were built.
It is known that after a long period of "shelving", in October 2015, the Provincial People's Committee decided to allow the Nghia Dan District Water Plant Construction Investment Project to be transferred from public investment to public-private partnership investment under the BOT contract (build - operate - transfer). HQ Environmental Technology and Investment Consulting Joint Stock Company is the investor of this new project.
According to the plan, the new water plant will be built in Hai Binh hamlet, Nghia Binh commune on a total area of more than 2.8 hectares, of which the raw water pumping station has a total planned land area of 400m2.2This factory has a total installed capacity of 30,000m3/day and night, with a total investment of more than 200 billion VND. Of which, phase 1 has a capacity of 15,000 m3/day and night, phase 2 completed with capacity of 30,000 m3/day and night according to design. Project implementation time is 2 years.
However, nearly 10 years since the date of permission to convert to BOT investment form, the Nghia Dan Water Plant Construction Investment Project is still at a standstill. The implementation stages have only stopped at the level of survey, planning, and site clearance.
Mr. Nguyen Hung Cuong - Deputy Head of the Economic - Infrastructure Department (in charge of the department), Nghia Dan District People's Committee said: Currently, there is no decision to stop the BOT water plant construction project or switch to another form. According to Mr. Cuong, the current difficulty is choosing a location to take raw water. There are 2 options, which are taking water from Sao River lake or taking water from Hieu River from Thai Hoa town (more than 25 km away). This is the reason why the project has not been completed after many years.
It can be seen that the delay in the construction of the water plant in Nghia Dan district is an issue that needs to be resolved immediately, especially in the context of the increasingly urgent need for clean water. This prolonged situation not only affects daily life but also poses potential health risks to people due to the use of water sources that do not meet safety standards.
