When the French turned Saigon into an urban center towards the turn of the 19th century, they used the most modern infrastructure technologies available at the time. After 150 years, one of their greatest urban achievements, the city’s sewer system, has fallen into a state of disrepair and sections of it will soon be demolished.
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Though the city has made patchwork repairs in the past, they have proven to be only temporary fixes and plans are in the works to replace the colonial-era system starting in 2016.
The first section to be replaced is located under Le Thanh Ton and Ton Duc Thang Streets and is suffering from erosion, loss of brick and mortar and large cracks, reports VnExpress, citing city officials.
"The city has about 100km of sewers built by the French. Almost all of them have been degraded and need to be replaced or repaired. However, since such an undertaking would require huge amounts of time and resources, those sections in the worst shape should be given priority," Do Tan Long, Head of Drainage Management at the HCMC Flood Center told the news website.
The old sewers vary in size from as large as 2.35 meters wide and 1.8 meters high to a cramped 0.5 meters wide and 0.5 meters high.
Even with the foul odors, we wouldn’t hesitate to enter this antique sewage system.
[Photo via Secret Maryoecret Maryo (for illustrative purposes only)]
