A corner of HCM City littered with high-rise buildings. — VNA/VNS Photo Trong DucRapid urbanisation has shrunk green space in HCM City, with trees making way for high-rise buildings.

The city had set itself a target of six to seven sq. metres of green space per resident in 2010, but last year the figure had shrunk to a metre.

In 1998 the available green space was 1,000ha, according to the HCM City Green Tree and Park Company, but now it is half that number.

Dau Tu Newspaper quoted Nguyen Khac Dung, head of the company's green tree management department, as saying the main reason for the per capita fall was the rapid population growth.

"Streets laid through parks to ease the traffic congestion have destroyed trees," Dung said.

The city has now set a target of 8 square metres per capita by 2015. But the company said it was an impossible task, and, if done seriously, the green space could reach only 4.5sq.m.

The city pins it hopes on new urban areas for the expansion. Of the city's 535ha of green space, the Phu My Hung area contributes 74ha, or 14 per cent.

Other parks likes Van Thanh, Dam Sen, Ki Hoa, and Thong Nhat contribute another 107ha.

There is reason for this hope. In 2006 the green space in the city's nine urban districts was estimated at less than 1 metre per capita. Thanks to the development of new urban areas, it has recently risen to two metres.

The Diamond Island project in District 2 has been designed to have 86 per cent green covering, excluding 50ha of protected forest.

According to the company, the per capita green space standard for a first-grade urban area is at least five metres.

To meet this requirement, HCM City needs an additional 4,000sq.m of public parks.

Source: VNS