Through physical cleanup of water bodies and public awareness activities, the CLEANSE project seeks to foster a cleaner, healthier environment for local communities and prevent garbage from flowing into the Southeast Asian Sea.
Grundfos employees receive up to 3 paid days off to volunteer each year. In the CLEANSE project, they collect garbage from canal in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Vien Dang Huy
According to locals living around the canals in Ho Chi Minh City, the garbage collection service is not yet able to handle all of the city’s waste.
– Every time it rains, the water rises, and trash from upstream is pushed down. A few years ago, there were even sofas and mattresses blocking the water. Back then, people cut it into small pieces so it could float away and the water wouldn’t clog, explains Phuong Kim Nguyen, a juice shop owner in Thủ Đức district.
Volunteers from Grundfos Vietnam in protective equipment are collecting garbage from the water. Photo: Vien Dang Huy
The project aims to clean 70% of the garbage from three major rivers, Saigon, Dong Nai, and Be (natural heritage area), and 11 inner-city canals, covering an area of 835 hectares and affecting approximately 80,000 residents living along these waterways.
– The city sits on top of a delta where three rivers flow into the Southeast Asian Sea. Being situated only 3-5 m above sea level, the city is also prone to flooding, and a lot of the city’s waste therefore risks ending up in nature, explains Tien Trong Huynh, Grundfos‘ Country Director in Vietnam.
In addition to this water cleanup program, Grundfos emplyees can volunteer with a university partnership to deliver workshops and charity visits, explains Tien Trong Huynh, Country Director of Grundfos Vietnam. Photo: Chris Trinh
Partnership boosts volunteering
In partnership with Grundfos, local organizations like Saigon Xanh, colleges and universities, the NGO ASSIST Asia coordinates and executes the cleanup and awareness activities.
The project is planned to conduct 20 water body cleanings from October 2024 to September 2025 (tentatively). Grundfos Vietnam expects employees to commit 200 volunteering hours toward the project in this period. The next cleanup activities takes place on
- Thursday 9 January at RJCM+JMX in Tân Binh Dist
- Sunday 9 February at Rạch Lăng Bridge, Phan Chu Trinh, Phường 12, Bình Thạnh District
Find out more in the leaflet (PDF) or follow the project on Facebook (Vietnamese).
Each canal cleanup event includes PR activities to raise awareness about plastic pollution. Photo: Chris Trinh