Up to nearly 2 kilometres of the 6.2-kilometre Xuyen Tam Stream is full of garbage, affecting thousands of surrounding households. During the rainy season, rubbish flows into their houses, bringing a terrible smell.
Xuyen Tam Stream faces serious pollution
A local resident Nguyen Thi Sau said previously the stream was not polluted, but since more people came to live in the area, it has become a dumping site.
"I pick up the rubbish around my house every three days, if not we wouldn’t be able to bear the bad smell,” she added.
HCM City authorities have ever approved an USD227.2 million project to dredge and upgrade Xuyen Tam Stream during the 2015-2020 period. However, the project remains on paper to date.
Up to 1,600 households have to live with rubbish daily.
A toilet discharged into the stream
Temporary houses along the stream
Piles of rubbish
