Flood in Ho Chi Minh City's street (Source: VNA)International experts and Ho Chi Minh City authorities met on September 29 to seek flood prevention measures in the city.
The experts suggested the city install larger piping in flood drainage systems and expand and upgrade the sewage system across the city while zoning off specific areas for temporary water facilities, such as lakes, reservoirs and tunnels.
Long-term facilities with visions through 2050 were also advised to be taken into account.
A German expert shared experience in water management, saying Germany and a number of European nations have invested more than 5 billion USD in developing space for water storage.
In order to ensure safety for residents, communication systems have been developed to help inform the community of flood risks and infrastructure facilities have been built at least four metres above sea level, the expert said.
Others from Japan and Malaysia recommended approaches to storing water and regulating traffic in case of floods.
Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Le Thanh Hai highly valued the experts’ consultations and urged the local authorities to review current counter-flooding projects to effectively tackle problems in flood-prone areas.
The city's sewage system, which was built in 2005, are no longer able to handle such a large amount of water during the rainy season, according to Do Tan Long, an official from the HCM City Anti-Flooding Centre.
The city will continue with its anti-flooding effort by upgrading the current sewage system, which stretches over 200km in length throughout the city, dredging canals and building at least three more reservoirs in the next five years, he added.-VNA
