VietNamNet Bridge - Residents in the central region have been familiar with floods for many generations. Folk songs say the last flood ends on the 23rd day of the 10th month of Lunar Year. However, floods last year still attacked Da Nang City, Quang Nam and other central provinces in the 11th month and caused severe damage.

Da Nang was under water

The flood was so serious that it caused traffic jams paralyzed and stifled business production.

According to the Central Meteorological and Hydrological Station, Da Nang City rainfall measured 300-400mm. The rainfall was extremely high, once reaching 436.6 mm on Trung Nu Vuong street.

In Hoa Vang district, the average rainfall was 70-150 mm. In the central business districts of Hai Chau and Thanh Khe, streets were inundated. Many road sections and transport crossroads, including Ham Nghi – Hung Vuong – Hoang Hoa Tham and Le Dinh Ly – Nguyen Van Linh – Ham Nghi, were 0.5 meters under water.

In Ngu Hanh Son district, Vo Nguyen Giap Road and K20 area were also under water. 

Folk songs say the last flood ends on the 23rd day of the 10th month of Lunar Year. However, floods last year still attacked Da Nang City, Quang Nam and other central provinces in the 11th month and caused severe damage.

Two people were killed and three others were reported missing in the central region as of December 10, according to the Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Vu Quang Hung, director of the Da Nang Construction Department, said the long heavy rain caused floods in some areas. Sewers and culverts were stuck with garbage which weakened drainage capacity.

Meanwhile, Mai Ma, director of the Da Nang City Drainage and Waste Water Treatment Company, said that the city could only sustain rainfall of 100 mm.

The authorities had invested VND5.2 trillion in three drainage projects in the past 20 years. However, the city's drainage system still could not cope with the rains in early December 2018.

Experts pointed out that hot urban development over the last decade has caused the problem in Da Nang. 

Houses, villas and tourism infrastructure has risen continuously in the city, but the irrigation system has not developed proportionally. Da Nang has to pay a heavy price for their short-term vision in programming the city development. Urbanization has reduced the number of lakes. Meanwhile, the lakes have not been dredged for a long time.

Quang Nam  also suffered from heavy flooding. Tam Ky City and other districts of Quang Nam were all under water. In the province, protective forests have been cleared to make room for resorts, while tourism projects have blocked the way to beaches.