Many works damaged by floods
After a prolonged flood in late October and early November, many items of the Hue Monuments Complex were flooded, landslides, and degraded. On November 2, an incident occurred in the collapse of a section of the Imperial Citadel wall on Dang Thai Than Street (about 15m long, 50m from Hoa Binh Gate).
On the morning of November 3, representatives of the Center and the Department of Construction conducted a survey of the scene. The collapsed wall was determined to consist of many disjointed bricks and lack of connection; the wall was built with three layers - inside and outside, made of bricks and soil, in the middle of the clay cluster. Some neighboring walls show signs of tilting, cracking, weak structure, and are at risk of continuing to collapse if heavy rain continues.
At the same time, most relic sites in Hue City were affected by flooding. The Dai Noi area was flooded about 0.3m; Minh Mang Tomb was flooded with a bridge yard of 1.4m; Gia Long Tomb and Thieu Tri Tomb were flooded about 1.5m; Tu Duc and Dong Khanh Tombs were flooded 1m; An Dinh Palace was flooded with a yard of 2m; Khai Tuong Lau interior was flooded 10cm.
A section of the lake embankment in Tu Duc Mausoleum was eroded about 10m, the wooden column system in Truong Lang Dai Cung Mon has been soaked in water for many days, posing a potential risk of damage.
The Hue Monuments Conservation Center said that thanks to proactive flood and storm prevention plans, up to now, no damage has been recorded that was too serious. However, to ensure safety, the center has temporarily stopped receiving visitors twice on October 27 and 3, only reopened on the morning of November 4 after completing the repair, environmental sanitation and electrical safety inspection.
Need to evaluate to restore and preserve sustainability
In the face of prolonged floods and the impact of storm No. 13, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and the Department of Culture and Sports of Hue City have urgently deployed many measures to protect the safety of this special cultural heritage system.
Mr. Hoang Viet Trung - Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center informed that through a survey of the site, many items in the Imperial Citadel and neighboring areas showed signs of deterioration and cracking after heavy rain. The unit has requested the People's Committee of Hue City to direct the Department of Construction to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Culture - Sports of Hue City and the Center to organize an investigation, assessment, determination of the cause of the incident due to natural disasters and propose a handling plan, report to competent authorities.
For the Department of Culture - Sports of Hue City, the Center recommends that this agency coordinate in recording, verifying, and reporting incidents affecting special national relics; and at the same time, advise on timely remedial measures.
The Center has implemented immediate measures such as stretching warning ropes, barricading areas at risk of landslides and leakage; unblocking drainage systems at relic sites, ensuring safety for people, civil servants and tourists. After the weather is stable, we will coordinate with relevant units to assess the overall status of the citadel wall, stone embankment of Ngoai Kim Thuy lake... to establish a project for restoration and restoration, ensuring the sustainability of the relic" - Mr. Trung said.
Mr. Phan Thanh Hai - Director of the Department of Culture - Sports of Hue City - said that the Department has requested units managing relics, museums, libraries, cultural houses... to strictly implement the "4 on-site" motto: On-site command, on-site forces, on-site materials and on-site logistics. At the same time, urgently move important documents, artifacts and equipment to higher ground to avoid flooded and leaky areas.
Localities with relics are required to reinforce works, arrange fences, and put up warning signs at locations at risk of landslides and falls, ensuring absolute safety for people and property.
The work of overcoming and protecting Hue heritage is identified as a key task, aiming to minimize damage to the system of relics - a world cultural heritage that are increasingly heavily affected by natural disasters and climate change.
