Vietnam’s large urban areas are frequently flooded when heavy rain occurs as the drainage system is obsolete and overloaded, making urban flood control a pressing issue in the country.Solutions to this issue were discussed by leading experts in this field at the workshop "Urban storm water management and flood control" held by the Ministry of Construction and JICA (Japan) in Hanoi on November 15.
Conference scene
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The drainage system is used for wastewater and rainwater interchangeably. Most of the drainage systems are self-draining, so they often experience waterlogging in case of heavy rain.
Statistics from the Department of Technical Infrastructure under the Ministry of Construction shows that Ho Chi Minh City has the most flooded sites in the country with about 220 points, Hanoi with nearly 190 points, Can Tho City with 107 points, Da Nang City with 50 points.
The main cause of waterlogging in heavy rain is because the drainage infrastructure has become old, overloaded and of poor quality. In Hanoi, for example, the sewer rate is 0.46m/person compared to the world average of 2m/person.
To date, all provinces and cities in Vietnam have implemented drainage and wastewater treatment projects. There are 44 large-scale drainage and wastewater treatment projects in operation and over 50 projects are under construction.
Speaking at the workshop, Head of Wastewater and Sewerage Management Department under the Ministry of Construction Tran Thi Thao Huong has proposed solutions to solve the issue by attracting investment resources, mobilizing capital from ODA, PPP to accelerate the implementation of projects as planned.
In addition to the government, Vietnamese people have to raise their sense of responsibility. They themselves have to directly participate in protecting the drainage system, such as throwing garbage in right places, building houses in accordance with the law, Huong added.
For their part, Japanese experts presented their experiences of water drainage and urban flood control in Yokohama, Osaka, focusing on coordination between the government and the private sector, increasing the participation of private enterprises in infrastructure investment and waste water management.
