Haunted by flooding
In recent days, the traders at Thu Duc market (Truong Tho ward, Thu Duc city) have been worried. When it is sunny, they can continue to trade with peace of mind, but when dark clouds appear, everyone is rushing to clean up, put their belongings up high, and prepare to face the flood.
Ms. Hoang Thi Binh's bicycle and electric bicycle shop was flooded after the rain on the afternoon of May 15.
Ms. Hoang Thi Binh, owner of an electric bicycle shop on Lam Son Street (Linh Tay Ward, Thu Duc City) said that people are fed up with the flooding even though the rainy season has just begun: "The premises are small, but there are many things. Anything that can be put up high has been put up. Electric bicycles have to be left below, water gets in and covers the wheels, but we have to endure it. When the rain stops, we take the bikes out to check, and if they can't start, we have to replace them."
Similarly, Ms. Minh Chau, a vendor selling grilled pork rolls and grilled spring rolls on Dang Thi Ranh Street (Linh Tay Ward) wondered: "I don't understand what kind of flood prevention project it is. Previously, rainwater only flooded the outside, but now that it's completed, just a short rainstorm and the whole area is submerged in water."
She said that because she rented a space for business, she could not raise the floor, so she had to move the furniture up higher. "It was very difficult to clean up the flooded house, and the furniture that had not been moved up was moldy and damaged. The smell of the sewage lingered in the house for a long time, making it very unpleasant. Not to mention, when it rained, guests could not come to eat, and customers who ordered through the app could not be delivered, which was very difficult," she said.
Anti-flooding in one place, flooding in another
Mr. Tran Van Hai, a resident on Duong Van Cam Street, said that the flood control system on Vo Van Ngan Street was effective on that road, the water was drained into the sewer, no longer flooded and flowing rapidly on the road. However, the water was all concentrated in the Thu Duc market area. Therefore, the flood water in Thu Duc Market this year was higher, affecting more houses.
People struggle to move when the road is flooded (Taken on Dang Thi Ranh Street, Linh Tay Ward, May 15).
"The idea of preventing flooding in one area while pushing flooding elsewhere is clearly ineffective. Authorities need to review this issue," Mr. Hai said indignantly.
Not only the area around Thu Duc market, many roads in Thu Duc city such as Nguyen Van Huong, Nguyen Duy Trinh, Le Van Viet, La Xuan Oai, Hiep Binh, Provincial Road 43, Ho Van Tu, National Highway 13, Kha Van Can, To Ngoc Van... were also heavily flooded after the rains. The amount of water flooded depends on the area, many places were flooded from 0.3 - 0.45m, the deepest place was 0.6m.
In other districts, flooding due to rain occurs frequently on roads such as: Phan Anh (Tan Phu district), Le Duc Tho, Quang Trung, Nguyen Van Khoi (Go Vap district), Ho Hoc Lam (Binh Tan district)...
Still have to prevent local flooding
Explaining the flooding situation at Thu Duc market, Mr. Mai Huu Quyet, Vice Chairman of Thu Duc City People's Committee, said that Thu Duc market is a low-lying area, about 20m lower than Thu Duc intersection and 2-3m lower than Pham Van Dong street. Not only that, the roads leading to the market are very steep, so when it rains heavily, it will create a strong flow towards the market, causing flooding. Meanwhile, the drainage system for this area through Cau Ngang canal is very small, only about 5m.
Mr. Luu Van Tan, Director of the Center for Infrastructure Management and Development of Thu Duc City, analyzed that there have been projects to upgrade the roads around the market, but so far the projects have not been implemented due to lack of funding.
Talking to reporters, Dr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City Urban Development Planning Association, said that the ground level of Ho Chi Minh City gradually decreases from the Northwest to the Southeast. Thu Duc City is in the Southeast, lower than other areas, so every time it rains, it floods, especially in low-lying areas.
"Filling up canals and concreting them affects drainage and water infiltration. Water cannot seep into the ground, there is no drainage system. Water from people's houses just flows onto the streets, so every time it rains, no street can handle it, flooding is inevitable," said Mr. Nguyen.
Regarding solutions, according to Mr. Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City has focused on using all possible solutions, spending a lot of effort and resources to prevent flooding but has not brought about the desired results. The best way now is to deal with localized flooding, doing it one place at a time, and preventing flooding in the place where it arises.
"With current conditions, the city does not have enough capacity, finance, technology, and materials to completely solve the problem, so it can only locally prevent flooding and adapt to flooding," said Mr. Nguyen.
Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son believes that solving the problem of flood prevention must come from urban planning. In the planning, space must be reserved for water and trees. Ho Chi Minh City has many canal systems, which need to be fully utilized to solve the problem of drainage when it rains.
Mr. Son affirmed that not all urban areas built in low-lying areas are flooded, typically Phu My Hung, Sala, Van Phuc... were built on land previously full of water coconut trees, very low ground level. But when building urban areas, investors designed to reserve a lot of space for water and trees. Natural canals were utilized and dredged, so when it rains heavily, the water drains very quickly.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tphcm-cach-nao-de-thoat-canh-he-mua-la-ngap-19224052322412744.htm
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