Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee deploys a series of solutions to prevent flooding

Heavy rains over the past month have caused local flooding on many roads in Can Tho City. Specifically, according to the Department of Construction of Can Tho City, on May 27 alone, the rainfall measured in Ninh Kieu, Can Tho City was nearly 67mm, lasting for nearly 6 hours, causing about 20 roads and residential areas to be locally flooded. The average water level was 10 - 30cm, and the flooding lasted 2 - 4 hours.

Many roads are deeply flooded such as Hung Vuong Street, Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, Tran Viet Chau Street, Nguyen Van Cu Street and residential area 91B. The main causes of flooding are low terrain, old and unsynchronized drainage systems, concreting the ground so that water cannot seep in, clogged drains or elevation differences that slow down drainage.

Since the beginning of the 2025 rainy season, many roads in Can Tho City have been frequently flooded.

In particular, high tides combined with heavy rains cause widespread flooding, especially from September to November every year. To cope, the city is implementing the Can Tho Development Project and enhancing urban resilience with loans from the World Bank, including upgrading the drainage system of 32 roads, building Can Tho river embankments, building tidal sluices, and upgrading 17 inner-city canals, etc.

According to Vice Chairman of Ninh Kieu Ward People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc Anh, the city has invested in many flood prevention projects, especially in the central area, but flooding still occurs frequently, not only during the flood season but also during heavy rains. The projects have shown certain effectiveness, but the prolonged urbanization process has made the drainage system, especially wastewater and surface rainwater drainage, inconsistent. Many roads have been completed but cannot be connected to other projects.

At the same time, it is recommended that Can Tho City soon plan to renovate the drainage system, calculate infrastructure connections in projects, promptly clear canals to ensure drainage, invest in wastewater treatment systems to limit pollution, and create a foundation for the development of Can Tho's strong river tourism economy .

Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau speaks at the meeting

Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau emphasized that the flooding situation has caused frustration among the people and created a bad impression on tourists, and pointed out the main causes of flooding: high tides, prolonged heavy rains and a combination of both. The city has built structures to cope with high tides, but with heavy rains combined with high tides, there is still a lack of fundamental solutions.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to forecast water levels, operate the sewer system and boat locks in a synchronous manner, and assign shifts when tidal rain occurs at the same time. Assign the Department of Construction to survey the entire drainage system and add manholes where necessary to increase the capacity to collect garbage. Localities must allocate funds and organize regular dredging of sewers to avoid backlogs as at present, and at the same time strengthen propaganda to raise people's awareness of proper waste disposal.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City also said that he will reward those who have effective initiatives and solutions to prevent flooding, helping the city escape flooding in the next few rains.

“I will reward anyone who has an initiative, idea, or effective solution to prevent flooding, helping the city escape flooding and limit flooding in the next few rains. I will reward 50 million VND, give special praise, and consider planning a higher location,” said Mr. Tran Van Lau.

VINH TUONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chu-tich-ubnd-tp-can-tho-trien-khai-hang-loat-giai-phap-de-chong-ngap-post802500.html