Proposing some solutions to prevent flooding in Vinh city
(Baonghean) - After the article "Decoding flooding in Vinh city", talking about the objective and subjective reasons that made Vinh city continuously submerged in water for 3 years after heavy rains, Nghe An Newspaper reporters recorded the opinions exchanged about solutions to prevent flooding in the city.
Mr. Hoang Hong Khanh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company:
Need to implement 80m wide drainage ditch project
Lenin Street is a major and important road in Vinh City and is currently frequently flooded. Whenever it rains heavily, the road becomes like a real river, containing a vast amount of rainwater, forcing cars and motorbikes to be extremely careful when passing through. During the heavy rain on October 16 and 17, many vehicles stalled and could not move.
The road has become a major flood point of the city and the flooding point extends all the way to Vinh Airport intersection. Meanwhile, the North Canal is not yet full of water. The reason for the current limited rainwater entering the North Canal is the lack of connection points to the North Canal (currently there are only 15 connection points/4km on both sides). When renovating the North Canal, the connection will still be as it is. When heavy rain occurs, the water intake points and canals are overloaded, causing flooding.
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| Lenin Street was deeply flooded during the heavy rain on October 16 and 17. Photo: Archive |
In the city's master plan, there is an 80m wide canal from Ke Gai River to Nghi Phu, Nghi Duc to Rao Dung River running parallel to the 95m road to divert water for the northeastern area of the city, but there is no investment capital. Therefore, to reduce flooding on Lenin Street and the entire northeastern area of the city, it is necessary to survey and open some more connection points to the North Canal and to invest in the construction of the above-mentioned planned 80m canal.
Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc - Chairman of Ben Thuy Ward People's Committee:
Need to prevent flooding in Ben Thuy area
Blocks 13, 14, 15, Ben Thuy Ward are also the city's flood hotspots. Local residents are currently concerned that the city must invest in and upgrade infrastructure and drainage systems as soon as possible. We are recommending that the city invest in and upgrade the Ben Thuy Pumping Station system, upgrade the water discharge gate, and organize dredging and removing duckweed and trash at culvert No. 3 and the regulating lake. This will ensure long-term drainage for this area.
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| Ben Thuy Pumping Station operator was flooded during heavy rain on October 16, 2019. Photo - VT |
In addition, the Ben Thuy Pumping Station area needs to be connected to a separate power system so that when there is a power outage, the pumps can still operate. Regarding Ho Quy Ly Street, Ben Thuy Ward has requested a project to upgrade and renovate this street, including the construction of standard drainage ditches to ensure timely drainage, which is considered an important solution.
Mr. Bui Duc Loc - Former officer of Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company:
Forced pumping station and water storage lock needed on Vinh River
Vinh Market is the most seriously flooded area in Vinh City at present, the reason is that the ponds and lakes that used to be the downstream drainage for Vinh Market have been filled in to make urban roads. Reducing flooding for Vinh Market is a difficult problem. If Vinh Market is raised but the underground ditch is still lower than the Vinh River area, the water will still flow more slowly. Therefore, it is necessary to plan an additional forced pumping station for Vinh Market area with a capacity of about 15,000 - 20,000 m3or more.
And for this pumping station to operate, it is necessary to have a water storage tank for the pumping station to operate, as before there were water storage tanks for the Vinh River that were filled in by the Long Chau and Lung Lo urban areas.
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| The former Vinh River water storage lock has been filled in to become a road in Long Chau urban area. Photo: Tran Chau |
Mr. Tran Ngoc Tu - Chairman of Vinh City People's Committee:
New flood control projects needed
The projects to improve the drainage system for Vinh city such as Thanh lake, Bac canal, regulating lake... have generally been completed and put into operation, creating a new look for Vinh city, contributing to making Vinh city spacious and modern. The projects have contributed to the drainage of the wards: Cua Nam, Ha Huy Tap, Hung Phuc, Doi Cung, Quang Trung, Dong Vinh... however, there are many other wards and communes that the project has not yet affected.
Currently, the city is mobilizing World Bank capital to build Vinh River embankment, build connecting projects to Vinh River, and invest in some key roads. In addition, it is actively exploiting capital to invest in an 80m canal passing through Nghi Phu and Nghi Duc communes (Vinh city).
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| It is necessary to build an 80m drainage canal for Lenin Street and suburban communes. Photo: Document |
In the coming time, the city will develop a specialized drainage plan for Vinh city (with climate change scenarios integrated) as a basis for gradually investing in construction and upgrading the drainage system. When approving and agreeing on new urban area projects or projects related to land leveling that change the flow, terrain, geomorphology, etc., it is necessary to require investors to have immediate drainage solutions for surrounding areas.
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| Garbage barriers restrict water flow at drainage points to the North Canal. Photo: Lam Tung |
