On the morning of September 23, the yard of Binh Trieu Elementary School (Hiep Binh ward, Ho Chi Minh City) was still deeply flooded after a heavy rain that lasted from the evening before. Parents had to carry their children through the flooded area to enter the school.
Ms. Dinh Thanh Lan (Hiep Binh ward) said that on normal days it only takes about 5 minutes to take her child to class, but this morning it took more than 30 minutes because the schoolyard was flooded. Carrying her 2nd grade child into the classroom, she saw that the classroom floor was full of water and mud, so she continued to take her child upstairs according to the teacher's instructions.
According to Ms. Lan, school flooding has occurred many times since the beginning of the school year. Every time it rains heavily or there is high tide, the schoolyard and some classrooms are affected.
Having a child in 1st grade, Ms. Minh Anh also has to carry her child to school. The mother is worried that students will easily slip and fall due to water and mud covering the corridor.
I hope the school will be rebuilt soon and the foundation raised," Ms. Minh Anh said.
Ms. Ly Thi Nhu Hoa - Vice Principal of Binh Trieu Primary School - said that on the same morning, many classrooms on the ground floor were flooded to the ankles, and the schoolyard was flooded even deeper.
Faced with this situation, the school has to temporarily arrange for students to stay in the classrooms on the upper floor, waiting for teachers and staff to clean and clean the classrooms. Some classes can only be enrolled until nearly 10 am. The affected lessons will be arranged by the school to be replaced.
According to Ms. Hoa, the school is located in a low-lying area, lower than the road surface, with a pond behind, so the drainage capacity is limited. Just a heavy rain lasting about an hour, the schoolyard can be flooded. This situation has been going on for many years.
On heavy rainy days, the locality has to support pumps to drain water for the school.
Binh Trieu Primary School currently has more than 2,300 students with 51 classes. Due to limited facilities, the school is organizing one-session/day teaching.
On September 23, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to have widespread heavy rain, and flooding may recur if the rain lasts.
