VietNamNet Bridge – It is forecast that on the afternoon of the 28 of October, the Saigon River water level will rise to 1.61 m. Many roads in HCM City will face a risk of severe flooding.

According to the Hydro-meteorological Observatory of the Southern Region, the water level at Phu An Station on the Saigon River will be at a high level. 

The peak will reach 1.61m at 4pm on the 27 of October and then gradually subside, but it will still maintain high. The peak of flood tide at Dong Dien Canal in the district of Nha Be is forecast to be 1 cm higher than at the Phu An Station.

The Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention of HCM City has asked the relevant agencies to be ready to deal with flooding caused by high tides and heavy rains in the coming days.

Do Tan Long, a senior official from the HCM City Anti-Flooding Center, said the city's sewage systems, designed originally for rainfall of 86mm, failed to deal with this year's rain, which is the highest recorded level at 142 mm.

Long said that the city's sewage systems, which were built in 2005, are no longer able to handle such a large amount of water within such a short amount of time on top of rising tides of nearby rivers.

He added that the city will continue with its anti-flooding effort by upgrading the current sewage system, which stretches over 200km in length throughout the city, dredge canals and build at least three more reservoirs in the next five years to effectively end flooding in the city's 13 urban districts.

Experts, however, have little confidence in the city's anti-flooding plan. Asst. Prof Ho Long Phi, Director of Centre for Water Management and Climate Change under the Viet Nam National University-HCM City, told Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper that the proposed projects with an estimated cost of VND11 trillion (US$ 480 million) barely covered one-fifth of the required investment to put a stop to flooding.

They also brought up the issue of real-estate developers' responsibility to help combat flooding as rapid expansion of concrete in urban areas is as one of the leading causes of flooding after heavy rains.

Le Ha