The Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee speaks about the 'very big problem' in flood control.

On the afternoon of October 25th, at the Q3/2023 press conference, Mr. Le Quang Nam, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, discussed with the press the reasons why many urban areas were severely flooded during the heavy rain that occurred on October 13th.

Mr. Le Quang Nam observed that Da Nang is developing new urban areas on the core of the old city. Accordingly, some areas in the city center need to be raised by 1-1.5 meters, and in some places even up to 3 meters, to combat flooding. Given the scale of this project, it is impossible.

"With urban development and ring roads, it's clear that the city's drainage system is problematic. Besides design flaws and mismatches, a major issue is that Da Nang Airport is located in the middle of the city, which is convenient for travel but detrimental to urban development," Mr. Nam said.

Mr. Le Quang Nam, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, explained the reasons why the city was flooded during the rain on October 13th.

According to Mr. Nam, the report clearly states that with nearly 800 hectares of airport land and rainfall ranging from 400 to 700 mm, the amount of water at the airport is very large. When the amount of water at the airport is high, it is necessary to open the sluice gates (water barriers) to drain the water into the city. "That is a very big problem for the city," Mr. Nam emphasized.

Explaining why water from the airport flooded the city so extensively, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee Le Quang Nam said that previously, Da Nang airport was designed by the US with 14 regulating lakes in Cam Le District.

However, recently, these lakes have been filled in or silted up, no longer fulfilling their function as regulating reservoirs. Regarding this issue, the city has directed the Department of Construction to work with the 375th and 372nd Divisions. The city is prepared to allocate funds to address these regulating reservoirs.

One of the causes of flooding in Da Nang City is the excessive amount of water flowing out from the airport.

Mr. Le Quang Nam also acknowledged that the city will review the clearing of drainage ditches, re-examine planning issues, routes, openings, collection points, and maintenance dredging work…

"When it rains, the trash will wash out. A raincoat covering the drain will cause it to clog. I personally inspected the area and found that some residents didn't clear the drains themselves but waited for the authorities. Of course, it's not the majority, but we hope for the people's cooperation. Local authorities need to clear the drains before and during the rain to prevent flooding," said Mr. Le Quang Nam.

During the recent floods, people had to elevate their belongings because the water level rose so high.

According to the Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, besides extreme weather conditions, Da Nang City still faces problems in rainwater management despite the city's significant investment.

"The entire city's rainwater drainage system flows into the sea, causing erosion of the coastline. The city has assigned the construction sector to research alternative drainage routes, instead of discharging into the sea, through river mouths or other locations to avoid unsightly conditions. Regarding fundamental solutions to combat flooding, the Da Nang City Department of Construction is currently implementing a rainwater drainage elevation project. If this project is implemented successfully, it will provide a scientific basis for evaluating the entire city's drainage system," Mr. Nam said.

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