HCM City (VNA) 𒁃– HCM City, which plans to relocate people living in slums along canals, will move them to places nearby in order not to dislocate their lives.

Binh Thanh, for instance, has 2,500 such families, many of them living along the Van Thanh, Xuyen Tam and Bui Huu Nghia canals. Huynh Ba Trung Nam, Deputy Head of the People’s Committee Office, said the three canals are set to be cleaned up, and the city has approved resettlement of the people living along them. The task is expected to be completed by 2022. Phan Ngọc Anh Huy, head of the district’s Land Clearance and Compensation Committee, said everyone moved out would be resettled within the district to ensure they do not lose their livelihoods. Tran Thanh Hoa, a resident living in the Van Thanh slum, said resettlement within the district would enable authorities to clean the canals since people would agree to move out of their slums. Many projects are delayed because people refuse to move out due to various reasons. Hoa said he had agreed to move because he would not have to travel far to his workplace from his new home. Elsewhere, as part of the city’s Water Environment Improvement Project phase 3, around 5,800 families living in slums along the Doi – Te Canal in Districts 4 and 8 will be relocated, with the latter accounting for 5,400. Luong Minh Phuc, head of the city’s Urban Traffic Works Investment Management Board, which will execute the project, said, “The project’s phase 3 is in the pre-feasibility study stage and will be submitted to the city People’s Committee this quarter [for approval].” Past projects have shown that relocated people want to be near their old homes so that their lives, studies and work would not be dislocated too much, he said. Authorities have taken this on board, he said. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the city People’s Committee, said the administration’s policy is that the lives of relocated people must be better than or equal to their old one. Under a programme of urban renovation and development, the city plans to relocate around 2,000 families living along canals in Districts 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, Binh Thanh, Go Vap, Phu Nhuan, Binh Tan, and Tan Phu this year. It will relocate around 20,000 households by 2025.-VNA