VietNamNet Bridge - In the past few days, the water pipe extending from the Da River that serves more than 70,000 Hanoians broke for the ninth time since it was put into operation in 2008.

The public has demanded that someone must take responsibility.

After the seventh incident on June 17, the Ministry of Construction (MoC) set up an inspection team to check the pipe thoroughly to find out the reason. Experts concluded that substandard pipelines and construction, along with construction work on the Thang Long Boulevard, were the reasons for the broken water pipeline.

The main reason for the broken pipe was its poor quality, according to the MoC. Some parts of the pipe system came off and the officials did not adhere to mechanical norms, leading to a decrease in the pipe’s pressure resistance.

According to the ministry, construction work on the pipe system also did not follow technological requirements and standards. Moreover, indirect causes were the Thang Long Boulevard construction after the pipe system was already completed and the weight of vehicles passing the boulevard.

Analysing the responsibility of relevant bodies, the MoC said that the design agency lacked experience in choosing the pipeline and did not reveal the necessary technological norms during the construction.

The pipeline manufacturer did not choose the right process and did not conduct tests to prove the pipeline’s durability.

The construction agency must take responsibility for leaving freestone and concrete in the sand that covered the pipeline.

The construction supervising agency did not undertake close checks and inspections leading to shortcomings in the construction process.

The project management committee must take responsibility for poor quality management.

The MoC asked Vinaconex Clean Water JSC, the investor of the pipe system, to check the system’s pressure and output to discover unusual problems and maintain the stable pressure in the system.

The company was instructed to set up measures quickly in case of any problems to prevent loss of clean water and ensure that the system protects the corridor.

The ministry also asked the company to complete the necessary procedures to install a clean water pipeline in the second period to meet the demand of users and the development of the city.

However, the investor had not yet dealt with the above issues, and the pipe broke twice last week.

Hanoi’s National Assembly deputy Bui Thi An asked why no one had been punished when the water pipe broke nine time and the incidents seriously affected the lives of over 70,000 people.

The Director of the Institute of Natural Resources and Environment, who is also an NA deputy, said that it was unacceptable. The incidents show the irresponsible attitude of the parties concerned with the lives of the people, he stressed.

Deputy Bui Thi An said that the authorities should not be late in defining personal responsibility concerning the incidents.

She also said that it was not normal that the water pipe project, worth hundreds of millions of US dollars, was assigned to only one company – Vinaconex Clean Water JSC, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Construction Import-Export Corporation. It was asked to do everything from design to construction and supervision.

Hanoi will start building a second pipeline bringing water from the Da River to the capital in September. The decision came after the existing one broke on Thursday afternoon – the eighth time.

Le Ha