VietNamNet Bridge - According to the meteorological station of the South region, due to colder air, the waters from Binh Thuan to Ca Mau will be subjected to a strong northeast wind and the tide in the downstream Saigon - Dong Nai river will continue to rise over the next few days.

On Dec. 23, the tide at Phu An station on the Saigon River peaked 1.57 m and 1.5 m at 4 am and 6.30pm, respectively. On Dec. 24, the tide is forecast to rise to 1.6 m and 1.52 m at 2pm and 7pm. Thus, the city may be flooded on Christmas Day.

HCM City Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention, Search and Rescue has asked District 12, Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, Cu Chi and Hoc Mon districts to check embankments and culverts to prevent flooding.

HCM City authorities’ flood control plans have become outdated as existing facilities cannot handle the increased flooding, experts said.

There have been 36 downpours with average rainfall of over 85 millimeters in the city since 2006. Flood tides have risen since 2008, reaching an all-time high of 1.7 meters on October 10.

The funding of the irrigation project aimed to prevent flooding in HCM City has amounted to 57.8 trillion VND from 11 trillion VND.

Five years after the project was approved by the Prime Minister, the city has completed only a small workload of main components, including building 149 kilometres of embankment along the banks of the Saigon River and nine big sluices to control flooding triggered by heavy rain and tides in the city.

A report presented by Do Tan Long, head of the water drainage department at the HCM City Steering Centre for Flood Control, showed that the city needs to have 6,000 kilometers of sewer, but less than 3,100 kilometers have been built. The city has been able to finalize construction of some 31 kilometers of embankment and only one sluice out of the 13 sluices.

Thu Ly