Fundamental solutions to prevent flooding in the Central region

(PLVN) - At an urgent online meeting with ministries, branches, agencies and localities on the flood situation and continued response and overcoming of natural disaster consequences in the Central provinces held yesterday morning (November 23); an issue that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid special attention to was researching long-term, fundamental solutions; so that the devastation that some Central provinces have suffered is not repeated.

To contribute to clarifying this issue, we can consider the most heavily flooded area, the most severely damaged in the recent flood, which is the old Dong Hoa district and the old Tay Hoa (old Phu Yen , now Dak Lak); the focus is Hoa Thinh commune.

One side is adjacent to the Ca Pass area to Khanh Hoa province; the back leans on the mountain, the front faces the sea, vast fields, this area has long been assessed as being at risk of flooding because some places have low-lying terrain, rain pouring down from upstream, and later on, some hydroelectric plants appeared that could discharge floodwaters downstream, plus National Highway 1 and the North-South Expressway in the East act as a "dyke" blocking the water drainage to the sea.

Some rivers in this area have very rugged terrain. The Ba River basin has no middle stream, and the terrain is strongly divided. The upstream river is short and steep, so water accumulates quickly and floods are large. Meanwhile, the downstream is wide, the flow slope is low, the riverbed is shallow, so it is prone to widespread flooding but recedes slowly due to the accumulation of floodwaters and limited flood drainage capacity. The riverbed is small and steep; the river mouth is often filled up; there are also opinions that some bridges across the river in this area show signs of narrowing the riverbed, affecting the flow and flood drainage capacity.

Villages in this area have been affected by natural disasters for generations, making business difficult, so infrastructure and houses are not resilient.

The disaster occurred when all the unfavorable factors came together at the same time, causing a terrible resonance. From the night of November 15 to the afternoon of November 21, the area had heavy to extremely heavy rain due to the influence of cold air and strong easterly winds. According to statistics, in just 5 days, Hoa Thinh commune (old Tay Hoa district) recorded a total rainfall of 1,056mm; and Dong Hoa ward (old Dong Hoa district) had a rainfall of 730mm. The rainfall alone was enough to cause flooding, the water had not drained in time; at the same time, floods poured in from upstream; coincided with the high tide period at the end of the lunar month; causing the water to keep rising.

When a disaster occurs, rescue work also faces numerous difficulties. The area has a basin terrain, many residential areas are located at the foot of the mountain, the water from the mountain falls down closer to the sea, the stronger the flow, accompanied by strong winds, creating whirlpools, making moving by rescue canoe or small boat sometimes dangerous to the lives of rescue forces. There have been people who died from exhaustion. Assets that have been saved for years are all gone with the water.

To prevent these tragedies from recurring, it is extremely necessary to research long-term, fundamental solutions. These include reviewing the operation of reservoirs, flood discharge procedures, and works that affect flood discharge; evacuating people from dangerous areas to resettle in suitable places; having public works as shelters for people... We must do these things with the spirit of "putting ourselves in the position of the people to carry out the work" as requested by the Prime Minister , promoting the highest sense of responsibility, so that there will be no more tears shed because of floods.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/giai-phap-can-co-phong-ngua-ngap-lut-mien-trung.html