VietNamNet Bridge – This afternoon, August 9, the Hanoi authorities decided to discharge water from the Nhue River to the To Lich River, in the city’s center, in order to reduce flooding in the city.

Thanh Liet sewer was opened at 2pm to enable discharging water from the Nhue River to To Lich River.

Water levels in the rivers of Tich, Bui and Nhue have increased highly because of heavy rains over the past two days. More seriously, the water level in the Nhue River, which runs between Hanoi’s belt roads No. 3 and No. 4, was over 1m higher than that of the To Lich River. In the early morning of August 9, the Nhue River overflowed, causing flooding along its banks.

The Hanoi Drainage Company asked the city authorities’ permission to discharge water from Nhue River, through the Thanh Liet pipe, to To Lich River. The water will be then pumped to the Red River.

At 2 pm today, the Hanoi authorities allowed the company to open the Thanh Liet pipe to reduce the water level of Nhue River.

By noon August 9, some places in Hanoi were still flooded at the depth of 20-30 cm. In the suburban areas, more than 9,000 hectares rice and crops were still flooded. Suburban districts have mobilized 400 pumping stations to drain water.

Road 70 was flooded this morning, because of Nhue River's overflowing.

In the historic flooding in 2008, Hanoi had to drain flooding in the inner city by discharging water from Nhue River to the city’s drainage system through the Thanh Liet pipe. In addition, the city had to ask for Ha Nam province’s help to discharge water from the Nhue River through Yen Lenh pumping station.

Earlier, in the early morning of August 9, hundreds of soldiers and militia against were assigned to prevent water overflowing from the Nhue River, which caused flooding on Road 70 in Tu Liem District.

Nhue River is a small branch of the Red River. It is 76 km long, running from Tu Liem district through Thanh Tri District, Ha Dong District to the districts of Hoai Duc, Thuong Tin, Thanh Oai and Phu Xuyen of Hanoi to Phu Ly city of Ha Nam province.

Due to fast urbanization in the western part of Hanoi, the water volume discharged to the river has doubled, causing overload and flooding in Hanoi.

Soldiers and militia prevent water from Nhue River this morning:

VietNamNet/VNE