Volunteers remove 20 tonnes of trash from Ho Chi Minh City canal

The cleanup effort focused on the box culvert area of the canal, which had become heavily clogged after a torrential downpour a day earlier, said Nguyen Luong Ngoc, head of the club, which operates under the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

Ngoc explained that the unusually heavy rain swept numerous garbage bins and styrofoam boxes—left by residents along the canal—into the water and carried them downstream to the culvert area.

According to the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center, the rainfall was measured at nearly 230mm in just an hour and a half—the heaviest recorded in the city since 2018.

Wearing protective gear, the volunteers entered the canal alongside local workers to retrieve various types of waste, which they loaded onto garbage trucks for proper disposal.

As observed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s reporters, most of the collected trash consisted of household waste, plastic bottles, light bulbs, dead fish and other animal carcasses — all emitting a strong, foul odor.

Local authorities, including traffic police, were present at the scene to assist with the cleanup and manage traffic in the area.

Following the clearance of roughly 20 metric tons of waste, Sai Gon Xanh members worked with relevant units to install floating trash barriers at the site.

These barriers are designed to prevent future blockages, facilitate ongoing cleanup efforts, and help trace the sources of pollution so that appropriate action can be taken against polluters.

The club also applied biological agents to reduce foul smells and control mosquito larvae in the area.

Looking ahead, Sai Gon Xanh plans to collaborate with local authorities to raise public awareness and encourage residents to place trash bins farther from the canal to prevent waste from being washed into the water during heavy rains. 

The club will also coordinate with relevant agencies to address violations.

“The volunteers of Sai Gon Xanh hope residents will stop throwing trash into the canal,” said Ngoc.

Earlier, on March 1, another volunteer team from Sai Gon Xanh, in coordination with the district authorities and other units, also collected about 10 metric tons of garbage from the same canal.