Nearly-98-million-USD environment project inaugurated in Ninh Thuan

Delegates at the inauguration of the The Phan Rang-Thap Cham city sub-project – part of the Coastal Cities Sustainable Environment Project funded by the World Bank Group in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan. (Photo: VNA)

The project with an investment of 97.9 million USD aims of improving environmental sanitation conditions, health and quality of life for local people, inner-city traffic conditions and developing drainage infrastructure in Phan Rang-Thap Cham city. It also aims to improve rainwater drainage capacity, reduce the number of flooded areas, improve urban landscapes, and raise public awareness on environmental protection.

The project was implemented across 16 communes and wards of the Phan Rang-Thap Cham city since 2016.

Specifically, the project has completed the Phan Dang Luu resettlement area with an area of 5.63 ha; 16.2 km of newly built and renovated embankments and canals; 82.5 km of drainage and wastewater systems; over 20 km of urban roads, roads on canals, internal roads in the central lake area and Dong Hai lake; seven school and public toilets; upgrading the capacity of the city's wastewater treatment plant from 5,000 cu.m per day to 7,500 cu.m; and building two regulating lakes.

Elif Ayhan, Sustainable Development Programme Manager at WB Office in Hanoi, said that the project's impact has far exceeded the WB's initial expectations. The project has achieved its goal of improving living conditions for 69,000 people in stead of 44,900 people as expected earlier. The implementation of sustainable operating systems, including the development of wastewater tariffs, will ensure that the project's benefits are maintained for many future generations.

Tran Quoc Nam, Chairman of the Ninh Thuan provincial People's Committee, praised the results that the project althought it faced many difficulties in the implementation process, especially large site clearance./.