HÀ NỘI – Ha Noi has 18 locations at risk of flooding when rainfall averages at least 50mm per two hours, according to head of the Hà Nội Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company.

Eleven of the 18 locations highly likely to suffer flooding are located in the Tô Lich River Basin, said the company’s general director Võ Tiến Hùng at a press conference on Tuesday.

These include the Phan Bội Châu – Lý Thường Kiệt intersection, the Đường Thành – Bát Đàn – Nhà Hỏa – Cao Bá Quát intersection, as well as the streets of Đội Cấn, Thụy Khuê, Minh Khai, Nguyễn Chính, Thanh Đàm, Trường Chinh, Nguyễn Khuyến, and the stretch of Giải Phóng Street in front of the bus terminal.

Three other locations are in the Long Bien basin of the Red River, including the Ngọc Lâm Ward and the Hoàng Như Tiếp and Cổ Linh streets.

The four remaining locations are in the basin on the right banks of the Nhụê River, including Hoa Bằng and Phạm Văn Đồng streets in Cầu Giấy District; and in the Hà Đông basin of the Red River, including the Quang Trung – Phan Đình Giót intersection and in front of the Yên Nghĩa Bus Station.

He said that most of Hà Nội’s drainage system had not received enough investment to keep pace with urbanisation.

The drainage system worked well when rainfall was less than 50mm per two hours but if it was above this figure the system was overwhelmed, he said.

Inspections carried out by the city last year showed that some irrigation features were built 60-70 years ago with outdated technologies and equipment.

The Nhuệ River system from Ring Road 4 to Liên Mạc Ward in Bắc Từ Liêm District has not been dredged for a long time, and would be unable to drain water for inner-city areas and Hoài Đức and Đan Phượng districts, said deputy director of the city’s Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, Chu Phú Mỹ, at a recent meeting with city leaders on natural disaster prevention.

A majority of the 95 detention basins in the city have earth dams that have eroded and downgraded, and their water retention capacity is weak, he said.

The 2017 storm and rain season is expected to directly affect Hà Nội, particularly the city’s drainage, said Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Construction Võ Nguyên Phong.

Some 13-15 storms and tropical depressions are expected to occur during the season, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

To cope with the upcoming rain and storm season, Hà Nội has carried out various measures such as dredging key drainage pillars such as Hào Nam and Lê Văn Lương, according to Hùng.

The city also plans to dredge lakes such as Giáp Bát, Kim Liên, Đền Lừ and Hoàn Kiếm, keep pumping stations under regular maintenance and prepare equipment, materials and human resources for flooding, Hùng said. - VNS