A flooded street in Vĩnh Hội Ward, HCM City, after heavy rain on Saturday night. The city has proposed a US$370 million canal dredging project to tackle worsening floods in its southern area. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

HCM CITY — HCM City authorities have proposed a VNĐ9.2 trillion (US$370 million) project to dredge and upgrade the Bà Lớn Canal, one of the city’s seven key drainage arteries, as flooding and pollution intensify across southern areas.

The city’s People’s Committee has submitted the proposal to the municipal People’s Council for immediate consideration, seeking approval to launch what officials describe as a critical infrastructure intervention to protect the fast-growing southern urban zone from recurring inundation.

Stretching 7.4km from the Đôi Canal in former District 8 to the Bà Lào Canal in the former Bình Chánh District, the Bà Lớn Canal will be fully dredged and reinforced with nearly 10 kilometres of embankments. 

The plan also calls for a new 1km road, 12-18m wide, and the construction of the Bà Lớn 2 Bridge spanning National Highway 50.

The total investment, estimated at VNĐ9.23 trillion, allocates more than VNĐ6.6 trillion for land clearance and resettlement, about VNĐ2 trillion for construction, and the remainder for consulting, management, and contingency costs.

City planners say the canal plays a vital role in carrying stormwater from downtown areas toward the south via the Đôi Canal under the city’s official flood-control master plan (Plan 1547).

But years of encroachment, waste dumping, and unregulated construction have choked the waterway, especially between the Bà Tàng Bridge and Bình Đông Temple, creating major drainage bottlenecks during the rainy season.

If approved, work on the project could begin soon and continue through 2030.

Once completed, it is expected to dramatically improve the city’s flood resilience, increase water retention, and operate in tandem with the nearly VNĐ10 trillion tide-control project nearing completion.

The move marks the latest in a string of major anti-flooding and urban renewal efforts by Việt Nam’s largest city, which has been struggling to manage rapid urbanisation and subsidence. 

Other ongoing mega-projects include the Tham Lương-Bến Cát-Nước Lên Canal (over VNĐ9 trillion), the Xuyên Tâm Canal (VNĐ17 trillion), and the northern bank of the Đôi Canal (VNĐ7.3 trillion).

Over the past decade, the city has transformed once-polluted waterways like Nhiêu Lộc-Thị Nghè, Tân Hóa-Lò Gốm, and Hàng Bàng into clean, green urban corridors. 

The large-scale environmental improvement project along the Tàu Hủ-Bến Nghé-Đôi-Tẻ canal system has also helped cut flooding and improve water quality citywide. — VNS