Urgent response to urban flooding in Hai Phong. Last article: Quickly improve overall infrastructure

Re-planning the drainage system, prioritizing the synchronous implementation of investment projects... are things Hai Phong needs to do immediately to cope with urban flooding.

Hai Phong 's drainage infrastructure system is currently only able to drain rainfall below 50 mm. Photo: PHAN TUAN

Synchronize planning and improve drainage system capacity

Hai Phong is identified as one of the localities heavily affected by climate change and rising sea levels. The frequency of rains over 100 mm will increase. This means that Hai Phong urban area will face deeper and longer flooding in the coming years if the drainage system is not properly invested.

According to architect Vo Quoc Thai, Chairman of the Hai Phong Architects Association, the city needs to urgently build and soon complete the city's Master Plan in the new development space.

Based on the overall master plan, update and adjust specialized plans, including the specific drainage sector, to serve as a basis for implementing long-term projects and solutions in accordance with the city's master plan. Only then can investment efficiency be ensured, urban flooding improved, and waste avoided due to scattered capital and fragmented investment.

Before the merger, the eastern region proposed to implement 4 anti-flooding projects with a total investment of 2,100 billion VND. The western region proposed to implement the Investment Project to renovate and upgrade T2 canal and Le Thanh Nghi street, Le Thanh Nghi ward, with a total estimated cost of 272 billion VND.

Updating and adjusting the drainage planning in a timely manner according to the City's Master Plan ensures conditions for reviewing and re-evaluating the urgency of projects and investment proposals in the nearest future, meeting the city's development requirements in the new period.

To cope with urban flooding, Hai Phong needs to add pumping stations to drain stormwater.

Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Nguyen Minh Tuan assessed that investing in upgrading and renovating the drainage system in Hai Phong is both an urgent task and has long-term significance, directly related to people's lives, production and urban development.

In particular, it is urgent to invest in building new drainage pipes, adding regulating lakes and pumping stations to drain rainwater. With the "black spots" of flooding, more drastic solutions are needed. It is necessary to renovate the entire drainage system on main traffic axes. This is not an easy task, directly affecting traffic and people's lives and requiring large investment resources, but we cannot delay any longer.

According to the units managing and operating the city's urban drainage system, it is necessary to build additional regulating lakes, tide-prevention sluices, rainwater pumping stations, a solid dyke system in riverside areas, and raise the ground level of low-lying areas that are frequently flooded.

In the immediate future, some solutions can be implemented to increase the area and capacity of existing regulating lakes. Research on renovating the current “tray foot” shaped lake bed into vertical piles to increase capacity. In the inner city area, research on building underground regulating lakes combined with public spaces.

The land area ratio for building parks and flower gardens in new housing projects and urban areas can be studied and replaced by water surface area according to regulations. Existing regulating lakes managed by localities should be handed over to the Department of Construction for unified management, with plans for investment in renovation, periodic dredging, construction of solid embankments, and restriction of encroachment and narrowing of the lake bed.

In suburban areas, the city urgently needs to invest in upgrading, renovating and building new culverts across the dike system that are weak, degraded, and seriously damaged, posing a risk of insecurity during the rainy and stormy season.

Prioritizing investment in 14 projects in the 2026 - 2030 period

It is necessary to raise people's awareness in protecting canals and regulating lakes. Photo: BUI LAN

In the immediate future, the Department of Construction proposed to accelerate the implementation of the Hai Phong City Development Project to adapt to climate change to minimize urban flooding in the 2026-2030 period and the Sustainable Development Project for the Southeast of Hai Phong City in the 2026-2030 period.

At the same time, it is urgent to evaluate and prioritize the implementation of 14 drainage projects, with a total estimated cost of 13,802 billion VND in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026 - 2030. Including projects such as: Project to invest in the construction of drainage systems, regulating lakes, and rainwater pumping stations in Hai An and Dong Hai wards with a total estimated cost of 500 billion VND. Project to invest in renovating and upgrading T2 canal and Le Thanh Nghi street, Le Thanh Nghi ward, with a total estimated cost of 272 billion VND...

To invest in a modern, synchronous urban drainage and wastewater treatment infrastructure system that meets the city's long-term development needs, a huge amount of resources is needed. If we only rely on public investment, it will be difficult to implement soon.

Towards applying smart technology to warn of flood risks and dangers to increase proactiveness in response work. Photo: PHAN TUAN

Therefore, the city is considering continuing to research resources from international cooperation programs and foreign aid projects in the field of drainage and wastewater treatment. Thereby, reducing pressure on the investment budget and speeding up the progress of projects.

Localities have stepped up propaganda work and raised people's awareness of protecting drainage works. The future requires synchronous investment in smart urban infrastructure such as installing sensor systems, flood warning maps and real-time data management software. Thereby, helping authorities monitor and forecast flooding situations early, proactively plan dredging, drainage and timely response, towards building Hai Phong city to be safer and more sustainable against natural disasters.

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Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/khan-truong-ung-pho-ngap-lut-do-thi-o-hai-phong-bai-cuoi-som-cai-thien-tong-the-ha-tang-525000.html