The Phu Xuan sluice in Nha Be District, part of an anti-flood project for HCMC with investment from Trung Nam Group, had sections removed from three of its pillars, with 3,800 liters of oil gone missing, a company representative said Wednesday.

At around 10 a.m. on Dec. 16, workers at the Phu Xuan sluice saw oil leaking from one of its damaged pillars.

The amount of lost oil is worth around VND200 million, according to Trung Nam. The pillars from which the oil had disappeared facilitate the raising and lowering of tide gates and the oil is used as a hydraulic fluid, it added.

An investigation is ongoing.

The Phu Xuan sluice, spanning 80 meters, is one of seven main structures outlined in the first phase of an anti-flood project for HCMC. Other structures include sluices spanning 40-160 meters across the city. The entire project would cover districts 1, 4, 7, 8, along with Nha Be and Binh Chanh.

The project, worth around VND10 trillion, began construction in 2016. It is expected to help control tidal floods over a 750 square kilometer area for around 6.5 million people living in downtown HCMC and near the Saigon River. Once completed, it would help control water levels in rivers and streams, and assist with drainage.

The project is 93 percent complete, but might be delayed due to contract issues.