Hanoi urgently deploys 10 flood prevention projects before the 2026 rainy season

Hanoi City is accelerating the progress of deploying 10 drainage and flood control projects under emergency orders, striving to complete the main items in the second and third quarters of 2026 to proactively respond to the rainy and storm season.

According to the Hanoi City Technical Infrastructure Management Center (Department of Construction), among the implemented projects are two underground regulating tanks in the Hang Da market area (Hoan Kiem ward) and Duong bridge slope (Phu Dong commune). These two projects are expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026.

The underground regulating tank at Hang Da market is built on a vacant land in front of the market gate at the intersection of many streets such as Duong Thanh, Hang Da, Ngo Tram, Nguyen Van To and Hang Dieu. The project has a capacity of about 2,500m3, reinforced concrete structure, installed with a pumping station with a capacity of 0.09m3/s along with a connection culvert system and regulating vents. The total estimated investment is about 18.2 billion VND.

According to data from the heavy rain at the end of August 2025 with rainfall of about 350mm in about 4 hours, the Phung Hung - Bat Dan - Duong Thanh - Nha Hoa area was once deeply flooded from 0.6 to 0.8m. When the regulating tank comes into operation, rainwater will be temporarily stored, then forced pumped into the common drainage system for about 4 hours after rain, helping to reduce the risk of downstream sewer system overload.

In the vacant land area of Duong bridge slope, Hanoi City is building an underground tank with a capacity of 1,800m3 to collect surface water on Thien Duc street. This is an area that is often flooded because the underpass of the Hanoi - Lang Son railway has a low road base, when it rains heavily, rainwater pours in exceeding the drainage capacity of the existing sewer system. The project is built of reinforced concrete, installed with electric vents and two submersible pumps with a total capacity of about 1,000m3/hour, total cost of about 6.7 billion VND.

According to Mr. Chu Nguyen Chuong - technical officer of Indcon Company, the unit is currently compressing piles to dig the bottom of the tank about 6m deep. In parallel with the construction of the storage tank, the contractor is also deploying a road surface drainage system 1m wide and about 300m long. The project is expected to be completed before March 31, 2026.

The Bac Duong underpass area is inherently a low point, often experiencing flooding every time it rains heavily. The construction of an underground tank combined with increased pumping capacity and auxiliary items is expected to fundamentally solve the flooding situation in this area.

Representatives of the Hanoi City Technical Infrastructure Management Center said that items belonging to the emergency project group are being reviewed daily for progress. Works at risk of delay will be urged and coordinated with contractors to accelerate construction.

Deputy Head of Drainage Technical Infrastructure Management Department, Hanoi City Technical Infrastructure Management Center - Mr. Do Van Vi said that with the supervision of the City Party Committee, Hanoi City People's Committee and the Department of Construction, and the commitment of the construction units, the projects will be completed on schedule, contributing to increasing drainage capacity for the 2026 rainy season.

According to experts' assessment, the cause of flooding in many areas in the past time stems from unsynchronized drainage systems, and the construction progress of key pumping stations and regulating lakes is still slow. Therefore, the implementation of 10 flood control projects under emergency orders is expected to gradually overcome the situation of localized flooding.

Recorded on March 6, on many roads such as Hoang Minh Thao, Vo Chi Cong or the To Lich river area, workers and machinery are urgently constructing drainage items. Some barricades have narrowed the road surface, but traffic is basically still maintained.

At the Vo Chi Cong route, the construction unit is excavating soil to carry out the installation of a 3×3m box culvert line about 4km long, running from the Pham Van Dong - Hoang Minh Thao - Vo Chi Cong - To Lich river area. The project is expected to complete the flood prevention item before April 30, 2026 and restore the road surface before June 30, 2026.

Meanwhile, on Xuan Tao street, the section from DT4 intersection of Tay Ho Tay urban area to Hoang Quoc Viet street is also under construction of underground drainage culverts for the Tay Ho Tay - Ciputra - Diplomatic Corps area. Construction is carried out in a rolling barrier method to limit traffic impact.

In addition, many other areas are also implementing drainage items such as Nguyen Hoang Ton street, Thang Long Avenue service road, Lai Yen street (Hoai Duc), renovating Thuy Phuong canal (Bac Tu Liem) and building Phu Do regulating lake (Nam Tu Liem).

People living along the roads said that the construction barricades have a certain impact on travel, but most agreed because the projects are aimed at solving prolonged flooding.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Son (in alley 212, Vo Chi Cong street), the barricade affects people's travel, but with the fast and urgent construction speed, it is not worrying. "Every year this area is flooded, the government's drastic handling of flooding is highly supported by the people," Mr. Son said.