Ho Chi Minh City is taking all possible measures to deal with deteriorating inundation as a result of climate change and sea level rise.
The sinking of the ground is another cause of the inundation. The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported that the districts of 2, 6, 7, 8, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon subside about 5mm a year due to the over-exploitation of underground water.
At present, around 670,000 cubic metres of underground water is used in the city every day, making the water level fall down and then triggering depressions.
In addition, the rapid concrete coverage of pavements and roads has also limited the absorbency of land, leading to an annual 2-3m decrease of the underground water level.
Meanwhile, almost one third of the city’s natural area is affected by tidal surges which hit their peak of 1.68m on the Saigon River last October, Director of the municipal Department of Transport Nguyen Thanh Chung said at the recent 16 th session of the HCM City People’s Council.
More rain has also worsened the flooding situation. Although Vietnam ’s southern region has already entered the dry season since mid-December, the city is still experiencing heavy rains that submerge such streets as Kinh Duong Vuong, Hong Bang, Nguyen Trai, and Tran Hung Dao in District 5, Tan Hoa in District 6, and streets in District 8.
HCM City has reportedly completed the first phase of four major ODA-funded projects to add 164.6km of culverts to its drainage system. The city has also finished 38 projects to upgrade and expand 19.98km of drainage systems and put into operation a culvert system controlling tidal surges on the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal.
Chung said in the short-term, the city will step up the dredging of rivers, canals, and culverts while running communication drives to discourage the public from dumping garbage into water.
Added to that, the locality plans to gradually reduce the amount of exploited underground water to 100,000 cubic metres a day by 2025.
About 30 large-scale reservoirs are expected to be built in the suburb while downtown areas will be home to small ones. Such reservoirs will be able to store tens of millions of cubic metres of water, thus helping lower the inundation by 30 percent.
The official said that HCM City will carry out 30 climate change response projects to cope with a scenario that the sea level rises by 75cm, flooding 204sq.km of the city’s area and directly affecting 154 out of the 322 wards and communes. The projects, worth more than 4 trillion VND (over 190.47 million USD), will focus on water resources, energy, and waste and land management.
Authorities are also facilitating investment in planting coastal forests and building environmentally friendly industrial areas so as to minimise climate change impacts on the local life, he said, adding that the city targets all inundation-prone sites to be dealt with by 2020.-VNA
The sinking of the ground is another cause of the inundation. The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported that the districts of 2, 6, 7, 8, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon subside about 5mm a year due to the over-exploitation of underground water.
At present, around 670,000 cubic metres of underground water is used in the city every day, making the water level fall down and then triggering depressions.
In addition, the rapid concrete coverage of pavements and roads has also limited the absorbency of land, leading to an annual 2-3m decrease of the underground water level.
Meanwhile, almost one third of the city’s natural area is affected by tidal surges which hit their peak of 1.68m on the Saigon River last October, Director of the municipal Department of Transport Nguyen Thanh Chung said at the recent 16 th session of the HCM City People’s Council.
More rain has also worsened the flooding situation. Although Vietnam ’s southern region has already entered the dry season since mid-December, the city is still experiencing heavy rains that submerge such streets as Kinh Duong Vuong, Hong Bang, Nguyen Trai, and Tran Hung Dao in District 5, Tan Hoa in District 6, and streets in District 8.
HCM City has reportedly completed the first phase of four major ODA-funded projects to add 164.6km of culverts to its drainage system. The city has also finished 38 projects to upgrade and expand 19.98km of drainage systems and put into operation a culvert system controlling tidal surges on the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal.
Chung said in the short-term, the city will step up the dredging of rivers, canals, and culverts while running communication drives to discourage the public from dumping garbage into water.
Added to that, the locality plans to gradually reduce the amount of exploited underground water to 100,000 cubic metres a day by 2025.
About 30 large-scale reservoirs are expected to be built in the suburb while downtown areas will be home to small ones. Such reservoirs will be able to store tens of millions of cubic metres of water, thus helping lower the inundation by 30 percent.
The official said that HCM City will carry out 30 climate change response projects to cope with a scenario that the sea level rises by 75cm, flooding 204sq.km of the city’s area and directly affecting 154 out of the 322 wards and communes. The projects, worth more than 4 trillion VND (over 190.47 million USD), will focus on water resources, energy, and waste and land management.
Authorities are also facilitating investment in planting coastal forests and building environmentally friendly industrial areas so as to minimise climate change impacts on the local life, he said, adding that the city targets all inundation-prone sites to be dealt with by 2020.-VNA
