Imminent floods threaten Ho Chi Minh City in rainy season

Vietnam News Service: Ho Chi Minh City is about to enter the rainy season and people are still at risk of suffering from disaster despite temporary measures to prevent flooding. More than 100 flood "hot spots" have been designated in the city but current flood prevention and control measures would only help to reduce floods in 20 of the hottest spots, said Do Tat Long from the HCM City flood prevention management centre.

Under the city’s long-term flood prevention programme, the centre would begin to install 22 pumps at "hot spots" to cope with floods beginning in late April, he said. A new sewer system would also be put into operation to help with draining water by late this year, he said.

As part of the 2009 flood prevention programme, the municipal People’s Committee entrusted the centre to upgrade and dredge sewer systems in the city, prioritising areas that are at high risk of flooding.

The centre was also asked to put fixed and mobile pumping stations into operation to help speed up water drainage out of flooded areas. Installation of anti-flood valves at water-discharge gates along Ben Nghe, Tau Hu and Doi Te canals and the Sai Gon river is also on the list of things to do….

A panorama of Ho Chi Minh City, shot by ntt, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0, Attribution ShareAlike 2.5, Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 and Attribution ShareAlike 1.0 License