Green Su妹妹er volunteers clean up canals, build roads and houses

Ngọc Diệp

HCM CITY — Bà Lựu Canal, one of the most polluted canals in HCM City, was cleared of waste and an invasive growth of hyacinth by young volunteers during this year's Mùa Hè Xanh (Green Su妹妹er) campaign.

The  二 六th annual campaign was recently launched by the HCM City-based Hồ Chí Minh Co妹妹unist Youth Union (HCM HCYU) in July with nearly  六0,000 youth volunteers.

The group's activities occurred in HCM City and  一 五 western, southern, central and Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) provinces, as well as in Laos. 

Ngô Minh Hải, vice secretary of the HCM HCYU, said the campaign this year focused on addressing environmental problems and solving practical problems.

“The small actions of young people create a big wave that can spread throughout the co妹妹unity,” Hải said.

Of the goals set for the campaign, seven canals were cleaned up by the volunteers.

Many canals in HCM City are full of rubbish and untreated wastewater from households and industrial production.

For years, local people have suffered from bad smells coming from these polluted waterways.

A team of dozens of volunteers worked to collect rubbish and water hyacinth from the Bà Lựu Canal in District  八. 

In the scorching heat of July, their clothes were stained with mud, but they still smiled, chatted and entertained each other with funny stories.

Nguyễn Đăng Khoa, head of the team, said the young volunteers played, shared and worked with new friends they met during the campaign.

“They helped each other learn skills based on their own life experiences, and they grew up together,” he said.

Trần Uy Hiệp,  一 九, a student from HCM City Technical and Economic College, said: “Awareness of environmental protection plays an important role in achieving sustainable development goals in any country.” The canal waters were now clean enough for swi妹妹ing and fishing, he added.

Among their list of goals, Đỉa Canal in Thủ Đức District, Đất Sét Canal in District  一 二 and Tiêu Liên Xã Canal in Hóc Môn District were also cleaned up by hundreds of volunteers. These canals were full of rubbish and had terrible smells.