VietNamNet Bridge – The southern weather center has forecast that high tides would cause at least six floods in parts of HCMC and other southern provinces until February next year, affecting the lives of local residents.

People wade through a street flooded by high tides in HCMC’s District 8 on Monday. The southern weather center forecasts high tides would cause floods in parts of HCMC and other southern parts until February next year – Photo: Thanh Hoa

Those high tides may reach alarm level 3 in the September-February period as seen in previous years, the center’s deputy director Nguyen Minh Giam told the Daily on September 20, one day after high tides submerged many areas in the city.

Giam said flooding in the city is caused by flood tides, rains and northeast winds which also lead to high tides.

Torrential rain, coupled with high tides, will make flooding worse, Giam said. He added that among the four factors, tides can be predicted in a long time but the remaining three are forecastable around a few days before they happen.

Giam said tides usually peak on the first and 15th days of lunar month. Apart from those natural factors, urban infrastructure, which may slow or support water drainage, will also affect the lives of city dwellers and social-economic activities when there are high tides.

The Tan Son Nhat Airport area was not seriously flooded in previous years but it has faced severe flooding in recent months due to poor drainage in the airport which are connected to the city’s system. Canals there are getting narrow and clogged by garbage and illegal land reclamation.

On September 18 and 19, water levels in the downstream areas of Tien, Co Chien, Hau and Ganh Hao rivers reached their peaks of 1.46-1.88 meters. In HCMC, tides of 1.48-1.5 meters on Monday submerged parts of districts 7, 8 and Nha Be with many places over half a meter under water.

SGT