HÀ NỘI – The structure of dykes along rivers in Hà Nội has been damaged by the volume of overloaded trucks running through the dykes every day, threatening the safety of houses during the stormy season, Kinh Tế Đô Thị (Economic and Urban Affairs) newspaper reported.

Along a section of Hồng (Red) River dyke running through Ba Vì District, overloaded vehicles pound the road surface, causing cracks, depressions and potholes.

According to the Economic Division of Ba Vì District, there are about 30 seriously downgraded spots along the dyke, mainly located in the communes of Chu Minh, Đông Quang and Cam Thượng.

The dyke surface is also reported to be seriously damaged on the Hồng River dyke in the districts of Đông Anh, Mê Linh, the Đuống river dyke in Gia Lâm District and the Đáy River dyke along the handicraft villages of Hoài Đức District.

According to experts, there are many reasons for the damage, including its unsynchronised structure and the irregularity of maintenance work.

However, the main factor is the overloaded vehicles, experts said.

Along the Hồng River dyke, there are dozens of sand dumps where sand is loaded on trucks and transported away, day and night.

The dyke is also used by trucks transporting construction materials from northern Hà Nam Province and containers from Hà Nội and northern Hải Phòng City.

According to the Hà Nội Dyke Management and Flood Control Division under the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, among 187 construction material gathering grounds along rivers in the city, 83 are used by overloaded vehicles.

Lieutenant Colonel Trần Xuân Thành, deputy head of Hà Nội Police’s Economic Security Division said that besides penalties on violations along the river, localities must step up supervision of units and organisations along rivers.  

Vehicles weighing more than 10 tonnes are not allowed on the city’s dykes. However, many truck drivers extended the size of their truck tanks by three to four times to carry a larger load. Leaders of localities proposed that the city’s Department of Transport stiffen controls over vehicle registrations.

Đỗ Đức Thịnh, head of the Hà Nội Dyke Management and Flood Control Division said that in the context of a lack of funds to upgrade the dyke system, using vehicle load limit signs would be a good idea. - VNS