More than 15 hours later, the tunnel still had to be closed in both directions, and large capacity pumps were mobilized. Thousands of vehicles from the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway were congested, and functional forces had to divert traffic.
Underground tunnels are built to serve traffic in a city that regularly has heavy rain, so flood prevention and drainage capacity must be calculated right from design, construction to operation.
This is the time to clarify the responsibilities of each stage, it is not possible to consider the fact that the project has been accepted and opened to traffic as the end of responsibility.
The investor must be responsible for organizing project management, ensuring that the project is designed, constructed and accepted in accordance with technical requirements, safety and function.
The design consulting unit must answer the important question, the scenarios of heavy rain, surface water overflowing, groundwater, power outages, pump failure and response and handling situations have been calculated.
The contractor must be responsible for the construction quality. If the water prevention, water collection, drainage or protection system of the pumping station is inadequate, it must be inspected and repaired thoroughly.
Operating units must ensure that the pumping system operates stably, has backup power sources, backup equipment and clear response procedures.
A pumping station that itself is flooded with water, it is clear that the protection and operation plan must be reconsidered.
What is needed at this time is not to find a pleasant explanation, but an independent and comprehensive technical examination.
If the drainage capacity is not met, it must be upgraded, if the design has inappropriate points, it must be adjusted; if the operation is not in accordance with the process, it must be rectified.
And most importantly, it is necessary to clearly define who is responsible, how long the remediation period is and what safety standards are used for verification after remediation.
Investing hundreds of billions of VND in a traffic item that is flooded after a heavy rain, it is very necessary to re-examine the quality of the project.
It is time for a clear commitment from the investor, consultant, contractor and operating unit, to thoroughly remedy, verify with reality and prevent the recurrence of deep subway flooding causing traffic disruption.
No one demands that a project must resist force majeure natural disasters.
But with risks that can be predicted, can be calculated and preventive solutions can be designed, it is impossible to use weather as a reason to cover responsibility.
A rainstorm can reveal the weakness of the project, but if after the weakness has been revealed, it is still allowed to recur, it is no longer "fault" of heaven.
