Flooding in HCM City

The project’s first phase, which began in June and is expected to be finished in 2018, aims to prevent flooding caused by high tides and climate change on an area of 570sq.km with a population of 6.5 million on the western bank of the Sai Gon River including downtown.

The work is projected to cost nearly 10 trillion VND (450 million USD) and is being done by Trung Nam Group in build – transfer mode.

Speaking at a meeting with company executives on October 4, city People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said relevant districts should immediately relocate households living in the construction area.

They should clear businesses along the bank that hinder the work, he said.

Nguyen Tam Tien, general director of Trung Nam Group, said six tide control sluices each 40 -160 meters wide, two small sluices, and 7.8km of embankments are being built.

However, construction of some the six large sluices has been held up because of land issues, he said.

At the site of the Tan Thuan sluice in Districts 4 and 7, for instance, three households have not moved out while the pavement managed by the Sai Gon Tunnel Management Centre has not been cleared.

In Nha Be district, construction of embankments at two places also faces site clearance obstacles.

Vo Thanh Kha, deputy chairman of the Nha Be District People’s Committee, said construction of the embankments has affected 200 households and businesses.

Some of the businesses have refused to relocate, he said.

The Sai Gon Tunnel Management Centre has tasked the Oriental Consultants Company Limited with studying and proposing ways to prevent flooding in the Sai Gon River Tunnel.

On September 26 heavy rains caused 10cm of flooding in the tunnel and the centre had to stop motorbikes from entering the tunnel from the District 1 side.

VNA