A bright future for the Vinh River.
(Baonghean.vn) - The Vinh River occupies an important position in the heart of Vinh city. Therefore, the City Party Committee and the City People's Committee are very concerned about renovating, upgrading, and changing the current state of the Vinh River in order to improve the environment, create landscapes, and enhance urban space…
Longing... for the Vinh River
(Baonghean) - From the Ben Thuy bridge, the Vinh River meanders, embracing the Dung Quyet mountain, winding through the Trung Do, Vinh Tan, and Cua Nam areas like a soft silk ribbon with beautiful green banks. However, the situation is quite the opposite if you travel along the Vinh River following the high and low embankments. The beauty, romance, and poetic charm are gone...
This is the statement of Mr. Phan Duc Dong - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Vinh City Party Committee, regarding the report "Longing... for the Vinh River" published by Nghe An Online Newspaper on November 5, 2019.
There was a feasible project.
The focus on renovating, upgrading, and changing the current state of the Vinh River in order to improve the environment, create urban landscapes and spaces, as discussed by Vinh City Party Secretary Phan Duc Dong, is reflected in the project "Sustainable Urban Development and Climate Change Adaptation in Vinh City and Nghe An Province". This project consists of three components. Of these, the renovation and upgrading of the Vinh River is the main item of component 2, "Urban Renovation Adapting to Climate Change". The section of the Vinh River prioritized for renovation is located south of the city, from Duoc Bridge to Ben Thuy weir, with a length of approximately 5.8 km.
Regarding the current state of the Vinh River, the detailed information provided in the project closely matches the content of the news report."Longing... for the Vinh River"This includes the fact that both banks of the river are natural land banks, the riverbed is silted up, some sections are eroded and encroached upon; many sections of the river lack management roads; and many sections have not been dredged for many years, resulting in siltation that affects the flow of water.
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| The Vinh River section passing through Cua Nam and Vinh Tan wards. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
On the other hand, in recent years, with the rapid pace of urbanization, the population density near the river has increased significantly. Furthermore, the low level of public awareness has led to indiscriminate dumping of garbage and waste into the river. In addition, a large amount of wastewater from various wards in the city is regularly discharged into the river, causing increasingly severe pollution. Simultaneously, due to the impact of climate change and unpredictable weather patterns, the river's flow rate is increasing rapidly, and the current drainage capacity is insufficient, leading to frequent flooding in the affected areas.
Therefore, it is necessary to renovate and dredge the riverbed, combined with building embankments on both sides of the river to enhance drainage capacity in order to adapt to climate change, solve flooding and landslide problems, collect wastewater, improve the environment, create urban landscapes and spaces, contribute to improving people's lives and promote socio-economic development of the city...
To renovate and upgrade the Vinh River, the project clearly outlines the investment items and tasks to be carried out, including: dredging the riverbed and constructing embankments along the river; upgrading and renovating the management roads along both banks; constructing a comprehensive technical infrastructure system including drainage systems, lighting systems, and other infrastructure systems; and building landscaping, trees, and walking paths along both banks of the river… The total investment for the renovation and upgrading of the Vinh River is expected to be over 37 million USD from concessional loans from the World Bank.
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| A World Bank delegation conducts a field survey of the Vinh River. Photo: Binh Tran |
Regarding access to concessional loans from the World Bank, according to Mr. Nguyen Trung Dung, Director of the Vinh Urban Development Support Sub-project Management Board, initial progress has been favorable. This is because the Vinh city government has gained the trust of the World Bank after successfully implementing an investment project to improve and upgrade infrastructure using concessional loans from this financial institution.
Therefore, upon learning about the "Sustainable Urban Development and Climate Change Adaptation Project in Vinh City and Nghe An Province," the World Bank sent a working group to conduct a field survey from November 4-8, 2019. Following this, the working group held meetings with Vinh City and Nghe An Province and provided positive assessments and feedback. A Memorandum of Understanding has now been signed to pre-determine the project.
“After the Provincial People's Committee submitted the proposal to relevant ministries and agencies, the Ministry of Planning and Investment reported to the Government on the project “Sustainable urban development and adaptation to climate change in Vinh City and Nghe An Province”. Currently, the Government has assigned relevant ministries and agencies to appraise it. If approved, the Government will approve the project list. At that time, Nghe An Province and Vinh City will proceed with the next steps…”.
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| Overall site plan of the project "Sustainable urban development and adaptation to climate change in Vinh City and Nghe An Province". |
The outstanding issues will be resolved.
According to Vinh City Party Secretary Phan Duc Dong, in addition to the contents of the "Sustainable Urban Development and Climate Change Adaptation Project for Vinh City and Nghe An Province" that will be implemented in the future, Vinh City also aims to connect the South and North banks of the Vinh River from Duoc Bridge down to Ben Thuy weir to promote urban development through investment in the construction of bridges and roads.
The Secretary of the Vinh City Party Committee stated that currently, the Vinh River is crossed by the following bridges: Den Bridge, Tan Phuong Bridge, Tung Binh Bridge, Cua Tien 1 Bridge, Cua Tien 2 Bridge, and the Railway Bridge. Among these, Tung Binh Bridge will be renovated and its surface area expanded; Den Bridge will be refurbished. In addition, the city will invest in the construction of two large bridges across the Vinh River as part of the implementation of the Le Mao and Tran Hung Dao extended roads, connecting to the Lam River embankment road.
“Vinh City is determined to implement these measures. Only by doing so can Vinh City experience groundbreaking changes and develop towards the South…”
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| Tan Phuong Bridge spans the Vinh River. Photo: Nhat Lan |
Regarding the existing issues on both banks of the Vinh River, the most concerning is the petition from households in Yen Giang block, Vinh Tan ward, regarding the restriction of their land use rights, while the Nam Cua Tien New Urban Area project of Danatol Joint Stock Company has had its planning adjusted, allowing for the construction of permanent houses close to the riverbank. Investigating this matter, on April 24, 2019, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Document No. 1137/SNN-CCTL reporting to the Provincial People's Committee. This document clearly states that, according to the Law on Irrigation, with a flow rate greater than 10m,3The protected area for the Vinh River structure, measured from the outer edge of the embankment outwards, must be 3-5 meters. The Nam Cua Tien New Urban Area project of Danatol Joint Stock Company has a portion of its area located within the protected area of the Vinh River structure.
According to the planning in Decision No. 782/QD.UB.DT dated March 15, 2005, this area was designated as a small riverside service area; however, it has been adjusted in Decision No. 2216/QD.UB-DT dated October 26, 2010, to become 32 small riverside residential and service land plots. Therefore, to ensure the safety and service capacity of the Vinh River project, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the Provincial People's Committee to direct the project investor to invite a qualified consulting unit to conduct an inspection and survey to assess the potential impact on the safety and service capacity of the Vinh River project, and report the results so that the competent authority can propose a solution.
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| Environmental pollution issues and restrictions on people's land use rights will be addressed in the near future. Photo: Nhat Lan |
On May 13, 2019, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document 2875/UBND-CN directing Danatol Joint Stock Company to implement the contents proposed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, requiring them to complete and report to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Construction, and the People's Committee of Vinh City before May 20, 2019, so that these agencies could review and examine the relevant legal regulations and advise the Provincial People's Committee on appropriate handling. However, as of November 1, 2019, Danatol Joint Stock Company had only contracted with the University of Transport to conduct a "Research and assessment of the potential impact on the safety and service capacity of the Vinh River infrastructure when implementing the Cua Tien New Urban Area Project in Vinh City, Nghe An Province".
According to Vinh City Party Secretary Phan Duc Dong, the issues at the Nam Cua Tien New Urban Area project of Danatol Joint Stock Company fall under the jurisdiction of the Provincial People's Committee. “This is a historical legacy. It can be considered a ‘dark spot’ that needs to be addressed at an appropriate time. As for other issues on both banks of the Vinh River, they will all be considered and resolved once the ‘Sustainable Urban Development and Climate Change Adaptation Project for Vinh City and Nghe An Province’ is approved and authorized by the Government…” – the Vinh City Party Secretary stated.
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| The Vinh River section passing through Trung Do ward. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
