The National Highway 32 section running through Nhổn area in Hà Nội was flooded on Thursday morning. — VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Heavy rain from Wednesday night through Thursday morning has caused widespread flooding in Hà Nội, with many areas recording rainfall of more than 150mm, disrupting traffic and daily activities.

According to the city's Department of Construction, flooding has affected western, southern and central parts of the city, with water reaching nearly one metre deep in some areas.

As of Thursday morning, total rainfall since Monday had exceeded 400mm, with some areas recording more than 500mm, as a tropical depression combined with the intertropical convergence zone brought prolonged heavy rain to the capital.

Water levels in the drainage system, canals, regulating lakes and drainage routes have remained high, reducing their capacity to store and regulate water.

Rainfall had reached particularly high levels in several areas, including Yên Sở at 570mm, Hai Bà Trưng 550mm, Cầu Giấy 439mm, Thanh Liệt 435mm, Văn Miếu–Quốc Tử Giám 421mm, Từ Liêm 414mm, Yên Nghĩa 411mm, Ô Chợ Dừa 408mm, Hoàn Kiếm 404mm, Tây Mỗ 402mm, Hoàng Mai 401mm and Phú Thượng 383mm.

Daily commuters struggled to wade through flooded streets on their way to work on Thursday morning, while many schools canceled classes or switched to online teaching.

Travelling on Triều Khúc Street, resident Nguyễn Cao Hải Danh said several sections of the street were deeply flooded, forcing residents to walk their motorbikes through flooded areas.

Drainage crews were working urgently to clear the flooding, he said, adding that residents should avoid low-lying areas and locations where deep flooding has been reported.

During prolonged heavy rain, residents are also advised to avoid traveling during peak hours where possible.

If travel is unavoidable, motorists should maintain a steady throttle and avoid sudden braking when passing through flooded areas to prevent damage to their engines.

Fearing the motorbike would stall, Trần Hùng, 50, and his 17-year-old son pushed their motorbike close to the pavement and moved slowly.

“Our neighborhood is completely flooded. My son and I had to walk along the main road so he wouldn’t be late for school,” Hùng said.

Their journey to Khương Đình High School took 1.5 hours, compared with the usual 15-minute trip.

At HH2D Dương Nội apartment complex in Hà Đông, Mai Quỳnh had her three children, who attend Yên Nghĩa Secondary School and Lê Quý Đôn Primary School, stay home from school, although their schools are only a few hundred metres away.

Quỳnh said heavy rain throughout the night left the residential area surrounded by more than one metre of water, cutting off several routes. Numerous vehicles, including buses, broke down in the floodwaters.

She and her husband asked to work remotely. At 7.30am, the schools announced that students in deeply flooded areas could stay home, with teachers arranging make-up classes later.

Meanwhile, Đức Hải, 30, who lives on Đồng Me Street in Từ Liêm Ward, turned back while pushing his motorbike home because his route to work through Mễ Trì, Phạm Hùng and Trần Duy Hưng streets was severely flooded.

“If I kept going, I would almost certainly damage the motorbike, so I chose to work from home for safety,” Hải said.

Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai School in Hà Nội switched to online learning.

The city’s Department of Education and Training asked schools to proactively adjust the timing and format of classes and educational activities based on weather conditions and directions from competent authorities.

Schools must not organise outdoor or group activities in areas at risk of flooding, landslides, falling trees or other safety hazards.

They must also establish continuous communication channels with parents to coordinate the supervision and safe pickup and drop-off of students, and ensure that students do not travel on their own through deeply flooded areas, fast-flowing water or areas where hazards have been reported.

While urban areas are bearing the direct impact of heavy rain, water levels on the Bùi, Tích and Đáy rivers in the suburban areas remain high, increasing the risk of flooding in low-lying areas and riverside residential communities.

Military personnel assist in reinforcing an embankment to prevent floodwater from entering a riverside residential area along the Bùi River.

The Hà Nội Civil Defence Command has issued a flood alert for the Tích, Đáy and Nhuệ rivers, with low-lying areas along those rivers being placed at a high risk of flooding.

Local authorities are maintaining forces on standby, monitoring deeply flooded areas and preparing evacuation plans for residents if necessary.

Flooding takes toll

Prolonged torrential rain and flooding across northern and north-central regions caused three houses to collapse, damaged 21 others and inundated 2,291 houses as of Thursday morning, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

More than 10,000 hectares of rice, crops and other agricultural plants had been flooded.

In Nghệ An Province alone, 195 livestock and nearly 12,000 poultry had died or been swept away.

A total of 92 landslide sites and 35 flooded locations were reported across the regions, including many along national highways.

Three people from the same family in Đà Bắc Commune, Phú Thọ Province died after they were buried when an upslope landslide sent about 40cu.m of soil and rocks from the hillside behind a residential area into a house on Thursday morning.

A landslide buried three people in Phú Thọ Province.

Amid the complicated developments of the floods, local authorities in the northern and north-central localities safely evacuated 732 households with nearly 3,000 people from dangerous areas.

Central Thanh Hóa Province alone relocated 452 households with 1,813 people, while northern Phú Thọ Province moved 252 households with 1,040 people. — VNS