(VOVworld) - The World Bank has approved 450 million USD in loans and credits to Vietnam for the second phase of the Ho Chi Minh City Environmental Sanitation Project.

The project will improve the environment by treating wastewater, strengthen institutional capacity to manage sanitation and wastewater services, and increase public awareness of the benefits of improved sanitation practices. The project will benefit about 1.1 million people in the city and includes a waste water treatment plant that will treat wastewater collected in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe (NLTN) basin and from parts of District 2 of the city. The plant will treat wastewater that is currently being discharged untreated into the Saigon river. Under the project, sewer networks and house connections to the network will be installed in parts of District 2. The project will also provide technical assistance to improve sanitation and wastewater management practices in the city. The total project cost is 495 million USD, of which 250 million USD will be financed through a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and a 200 million USD credit through the International Development Association (IDA). HCMC will provide 45  million USD from its own resources for the project.