Vinh City focuses on cleaning up after the floods.
After a day submerged in water, the streets are covered with garbage, mud, leaves, and other debris. Currently, wards, communes, and functional forces in Vinh City are focusing on cleaning up, dredging canals and drainage ditches to ensure proper water drainage.
According to observations by reporters on the morning of September 24th, various forces, in coordination with residents, were working to clean up roads and residential areas in Vinh City after the floodwaters receded.
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The 72-meter road is one of the most severely flooded areas in Vinh City, with water levels fluctuating between 50 cm and 1 meter on September 23rd. According to the Nghi Phu commune authorities, this road has a lower elevation than surrounding roads, making it a low-lying area where heavy rainwater from other areas flows in, resulting in a spot where flooding occurs quickly but recedes slowly.
The most flooded section of the route has more than 20 drainage pits, which are frequently clogged with garbage, soil, leaves, etc. Therefore, clearing the pits is a regular task before, during, and after the water recedes. On the morning of September 24th, the commune mobilized urban officials, militia, and residents to dredge and clean these areas.
In Truong Thi ward, authorities also cleaned drainage ditches on heavily flooded roads on September 23rd, such as Tran Thu Do, Truong Thi, and Phong Dinh Cang... The debris mainly consisted of leaves, plastic bags, and plastic bottles.
In Vinh Tan ward, the local authorities are also focusing on reviewing, dredging, and clearing drainage ditches along Le Mao extended road, Ngo Duc Ke, Pham Hong Thai, Dinh Nhat Than, Nguyen Viet Nhung, etc.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh, Chairman of the Vinh Tan Ward People's Committee, said: "As soon as the floodwaters receded, the local authorities mobilized various organizations including urban management, militia, youth union, and community groups to clear mud and sweep up garbage on main roads and residential alleys. Thanks to this, many areas are now clean again. They also assisted residents in transporting their belongings after they had raised them to higher ground to avoid flooding yesterday (September 23rd)."
Mr. Tran Quang Lam, Vice Chairman of the Vinh City People's Committee, said: "The task of cleaning up and clearing drainage ditches and catch basins is the top priority after the water recedes because it is still the rainy season, and the risk of prolonged heavy rain causing flooding may continue in the coming time."
Every year, the city allocates nearly 2 billion VND for dredging and clearing canals, entrusting the city's Project Management Board with the task. However, due to the large volume of work and limited funding, during peak periods of the rainy season, organizations, associations, local authorities, and residents still have to be mobilized to carry out the work.
The severe flooding yesterday, September 23rd, was due not only to the excessive and prolonged rainfall but also to other factors such as the dilapidated drainage systems of some roads, and the ongoing construction on others.
"The reality is that when the water rises, leaves, garbage, plastic bags, etc., completely cover the drainage pits. However, only the city's forces carry out dredging and clearing, lacking the cooperation of units, businesses, and the people... With nearly 10,000 drainage pits throughout the city, relying solely on the functional forces is insufficient. Therefore, wards, communes, and units need to strengthen propaganda and mobilize the people to raise their awareness and responsibility to voluntarily participate in disaster prevention and control, including floods and inundation..."
Mr. Tran Quang Lam - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Vinh City
Vinh City has just experienced its worst flooding in years. According to statistics, the rainfall on the evening of September 22nd and the morning of September 23rd reached 290mm, lasting for many hours. Meanwhile, according to Vinh City leaders, the amount of rainfall the city can handle for drainage is only about 200mm, and the rain falls in intermittent bursts.
On September 23rd, most roads in the city were completely submerged, with water levels ranging from 30cm to about 1.5 meters; second only to the historic flooding in October 2019.
