VietNamNet Bridge – The HCM City People's Committee has submitted a plan to State officials to address the city's flooding problems.

A market at Binh Tan District, HCM City is flooded after raining.The city People's Committee has submitted a plan to State officials to address flooding problems.

Most of the VND9.9 trillion (US$460 million) flood risk management proposal would be financed with Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds from the World Bank ($422 million), the city authority said on Monday.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the Ministry of Planning and Investment must review and approve the measures before they take effect.

The HCM City Steering Centre for Anti-flooding Programme would connect the city's existing infrastructure to counter flooding caused by high tides and increase the city's water drainage capacity, according to the city's proposal. It would also work on cleaning waterways.

The plan has three phases. During the first phase, the city would update its hydro-meteorological centre's equipment, flood risk database, early warning system, flood response capabilities and canal system.

In the second phase it would build two tide gates at Vam Thuat and Nuoc Len Canals, clean the Tham Luong-Ben Cat-Nuoc Len Canal and install a sewer system in Go Vap District.

HCM City is one of the 10 cities around the world most vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change, according to a World Bank study. The city's drainage system was originally designed to deal with a maximum rise in tides of 1.32m, but climate change has pushed this up to 1.58m during heavy downpours in recent years.

VNS