Environment
Hanoi prepares rainy season flood control plans
  • | dtinews.vn | May 06, 2017 09:55 AM
Plans to deal with 18 spots at risk of flooding in the capital are being created in order to deal with the coming storm season as the sewer system is weak.

Vo Tien Hung, director of Hanoi Water Drainage Company, said the city’s drainage system can cope with rains with precipitation rates of 50mm per two hours. However, with heavier rains with precipitation rates from 50 to 100mm per two hours, the capital will have 18 severely flooded areas. If there are rains with a precipitation rate of over 100mm, the system will be overloaded and more flooded locations will appear.

  

A street in Hanoi was flooded during Typhoon Dianmu in 2016

18 areas at risk of flooding are located throughout the city such as the Phan Boi Chau-Ly Thuong Kiet intersection, Cao Ba Quat, Thuy Khue, Giai Phong and Truong Chinh streets.

Seven other areas are also threatened by flooding are located along Nhue River, the riverside in Ha Dong and Long Bien districts.

Talking about the typhoon season, the Hanoi Water Drainage Company said the situation would be complicated depending on each area and whether the rain would last long or not. It is predicted that 2017 will have many storms and tropical depressions on the East Sea that affect Vietnam and Hanoi directly.

Many measures have been proposed. For the areas that are more prone to floods in the inner city, the company has upgraded the Yen So Pump Station and drainage capacity of To Lich River. The company also prepared mobile pumps and trucks.

Last year, many areas in Hanoi were heavily flooded as the effect of Typhoon Dianmu. Rainfall from 6pm on August 18, 2016 to 3pm the next day reached 136.4mm on Nguyen Khuyen Street, 131.8mm on Yen So and the lowest was 86.9mm in Linh Dam. Some section was submerged under 30 to 50cm of water.

As the water level in Nhue River rose, it flooded many streets. Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company sent out 2,000 employees and 200 vehicles and equipment to deal with emergencies. Yen Bai and Dong Bong pumping stations worked to full capacity.

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