The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved US$170 million in loans to help upgrade urban infrastructure and address climate change in the three secondary cities of Ha Giang, Vinh Yen and Hue.
(Credit: thanhpho.hagiang.gov.vn)
According to ADB, there are over 30 million people living in urban areas in Vietnam, but the impact of urbanisation remains uneven across the country. Unlike the capital city of Hanoi and other highly developed urban centres, secondary cities - with populations between 50,000-300,000, such as Hue in the central region and Vinh Yen and Ha Giang in the northern part of the country, are lagging behind. Less than 60% of households in secondary cities have access to clean water and only 10% of wastewater is treated properly.
Satoshi Ishii, a senior urban development specialist at ADB, said that urbanisation has had a positive impact on Vietnam’s growth but a range of cities still lack key urban infrastructure services and remain vulnerable to climate change, particularly flooding.
ADB is looking forward to working with the Provincial People’s Committees of Thua Thien-Hue, Vinh Phuc, and Ha Giang, as well as the administrative authorities of their provincial capital cities of Hue, Vinh Yen, and Ha Giang, to ensure that they are green and climate-resilient, while enhancing their economic competitiveness, Satoshi Ishii added.
The Secondary Green Cities Development Project is expected to help make these urban centres become more livable, environmentally friendly and climate-resilient, thereby, benefiting approximately 116,000 households.
For Vinh Yen, the project will construct a new wastewater treatment system, upgrade 66.1 km of drainage control, dredge the Dam Vac Lake, and develop 44.5 ha of new public green spaces.
In Hue city, the project will upgrade 21.9 km of drainage pipelines, reconstruct 15.9 km of road surfaces and drainage, and develop 17.2 ha of green spaces, among others.
In Ha Giang, about 7 km of urban drainage will be upgraded, along with 5.6 km of river embankments, a 6.2 km road and a 150 m bridge will be improved to facilitate the urban road network.
Apart from the loans, ADB will also administer a total of US$14.1 million in technical assistance with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, while offering US$6 million in non-refundable aid from the Global Environment Facility and the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund.
The technical assistance will ensure a green and resilient city development approach across government agencies through policy advice and capacity building, before replicating the approach in other cities in Vietnam.
Source: Nhandan Online