The first water pipeline, that has been carrying water from the Da River to Ha Noi, has ruptured nine times since it was put into operation in 1997, exposing more than 70,000 households in the city to water shortages.— Photo infonet

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Ha Noi People's Committee has asked the Viet Nam Construction and Import-Export Corporation (Vinaconex) to prevent faulty contractors who participated in the construction of the city's first water pipeline from building the second one.

In a document sent out on Wednesday, vice chairman of the committee Nguyen Quoc Hung asked the corporation to lay out a detailed plan for the second pipeline that would carry water from the Da River to Ha Noi from next month.

The 28km-long pipeline would run parallel to the current pipeline from National Highway 21 to the Ring Road 3, at a cost of VND1 trillion ($47.1 million).

Hung asked Vinaconex to carefully select qualified contractors to build the first part of the pipeline, which would run from the National Highway 21 to the Tich River within three months.

The rest would be completed within the next six months, he said.

Hung agreed with the corporation's recommendation to use domestically-produced pipes manufactured from metal.

The city authority would supervise contractors chosen to build the second pipeline, he said.

The committee has required the city's Construction Department to transfer the premises to the corporation this month. It also requested water supply units be ready to supply more than 80,000 cubic metres per day after construction of the first phase was completed.

The first water pipeline, that has been carrying water from the Da River to Ha Noi, has ruptured nine times since it was put into operation in 1997, exposing more than 70,000 households in the city to water shortages.

Investor Vinaconex has publicly apologised for the shortages and has since received the city's approval to continue with the second pipeline project. — VNS