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(VietNamNet Bridge)-Ha Noi needs up to VND18.7 trillion (US$896 million) to build nine waste water treatment plants and prevent the pollution of lakes in the inner city by 2015, the municipal People's Committee has said.

The nine waste water treatment plants include those at Yen So, Bay Mau Lake, Dam Bay, West Lake, Yen Xa, Phu Do, Western West Lake, Ha Dong and Son Tay.

Specifically, the Yen So waste water collection system would be built at a cost of VND2 trillion ($996 million), the Bay Mau Lake plant at VND600 billion ($28.8 million), the Dam Bay and West Lake plants at VND400 billion($19.2 million), the Yen Xa plant at VND1.8 trillion ($86 million), the Phu Do plant at VND3 trillion ($144 million), Western West Lake at VND3 trillion ($144 million), the Ha Dong plant at VND400 billion ($19.2 million), and the Son Tay plant at VND250 billion ($12 million).

These plants are expected to treat waste water with capacities of between 13,300 and 270,000 cubic metres per day. The construction fund would be mobilised from both State budget and ODA.

In addition, the city would spend VND2.6 trillion ($124 million) to upgrade lakes in the inner city.

In this year alone, the city would start the operation of the upgraded Yen So waste water treatment plant with a designed capacity of 200,000 cubic metres per day, it said.

Vice Chairman of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Quoc Khanh said the pollution of rivers and lakes in Ha Noi was alarming as up to 98 per cent of 200 rivers and lakes failed to meet the required criteria.

About 80 per cent of rivers and lakes had their banks polluted or encroached and were becoming waste dumps with up to 90 per cent of water waste being directly discharged into rivers and lakes.

The treatment of waste water at industrial zones and craft villages also faced the same situation. The shortage of waste water treatment plants had polluted the environment and seriously affected urban underground water sources, he said.

Vice Chairman of the committee Nguyen Van Khoi said it had required the management board to study site clearance and resettlement areas while reducing procedures to speed up the implementation progress.

Local authorities were asked to report to the city in case of difficulties over site clearance, he said.