Warning of dozens of landslides in Ho Chi Minh City during flood season

TPO - There are currently 32 landslides in Ho Chi Minh City, threatening the safety of structures, property, and people's lives during the rainy season. The city is focusing on many solutions to warn and implement plans to prevent landslides.

On the afternoon of September 19, Mr. Nguyen Duc Vu, Head of the Irrigation Sub-Department (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ho Chi Minh City) said that the city currently has 32 landslide locations including: Thu Duc city (7); Nha Be district (7); Binh Chanh district (4); Hoc Mon district (1); Cu Chi district (1); Can Gio district (5); Binh Thanh district (5); District 12 (2).

Up to now, Ho Chi Minh City has planned to invest in construction at 24 landslide locations. The city has assigned the People's Committees of districts to make plans for reinforcement in the event of storms and high tides for the remaining 8 landslide locations.

Warning of dozens of landslides in Ho Chi Minh City during flood season photo 1

The rainy and stormy season is the time when many landslide-prone locations in Ho Chi Minh City are in a very unsafe state.

According to Mr. Vu, typical dangerous landslides that threaten the safety of the works mentioned by the representative of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development include: the Dong Cu Chi Canal-N31A irrigation system is currently in the period of cutting and reducing water to transfer from the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop to the 2024 Summer-Autumn crop. The City Irrigation Service Management and Exploitation One Member Co., Ltd. has reviewed the current status and repaired a number of canals such as Dong Canal, N38 Canal, N43 Canal to ensure safe operation during the 2024 flood season.

The report of the Director of the Irrigation Department shows that at the Hoc Mon - North Binh Chanh irrigation project, the traffic bridge through Tan Kien culvert has been degraded and damaged, affecting the safety of the project, people and vehicles passing through the bridge; Saigon 3 culvert belongs to the flood prevention dike along the Saigon River, Thu Duc city (from Binh Phuoc bridge to Cau Ngang canal), water flows through the bottom of the valve gate, the upstream and downstream roof of the culvert is degraded, collapsed, cracked, and the operating road on the culvert is degraded.

Warning of dozens of landslides in Ho Chi Minh City during flood season photo 2

The city is making efforts to reinforce landslide sites, protect the safety of structures, property, and people's lives.

Suoi Cai and Can canals belong to the Suoi Cai project, the embankment of Go Cat and Tien streams is silted up, there are many trees and grasses, the slope of the canal is collapsing and cracking in some places; the irrigation project of the Saigon river dike from Ben Suc bridge to Thai Thai canal - Phu My Hung commune, the embankment surface from K0+00 to K3+00 is degraded, with many potholes. The embankment of Dua canal, both sides of Cat canal, the left bank of canal No. 2, the right bank of Da canal is degraded, collapsing in some places when the tide level reaches +1.30m, there is a situation of water overflowing the embankment surface.

For irrigation works, dykes and embankments, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities to maintain and repair them annually from the natural disaster fund. To handle incidents at these works, the city has established 312 shock teams with about 21,000 people. "In case of incidents at dykes and embankments, this force will respond to minimize damage to people," said Mr. Vu.