On the morning of September 7, construction units were still implementing temporary solutions to reduce the flow of red sand from the high hills onto Nguyen Thong Street, in front of 300 Nguyen Thong, Phu Hai Ward, Phan Thiet when it rains.
Knowing that this is only a temporary solution while waiting for the completion of the No. 1 drainage project (Vo Nguyen Giap Street) connecting to the drainage system to discharge into the sea, Mr. Vo Duc - who owns a restaurant opposite this location - still has many worries.
Sand spilled onto the street, into the restaurant, affecting the family business. This is not a recent occurrence, but has been happening for many years. When the sand spilled, the family cleaned it up and then the cycle continued, with the family having to fix it themselves.
The sandstorm on July 27th caused many customers at the restaurant to run away, sand covered tables, chairs, and furniture.
The sandstorm on September 3rd only filled the front yard of the restaurant. Mr. Duc said that, fearing that the sand would flood into the restaurant, he raised the restaurant's floor and built a high fence, costing 100 million VND. However, with a sandstorm and difficult access, no vehicle or tourist dared to enter the restaurant.
The red sand flood on September 5th had already passed the house, burying tables, chairs and even motorbikes. Running to borrow a shovel to dig up the sand and pull the motorbike up, Mr. Duc shook his head and said that he would take care of his own property and could not wait because the sand had flooded many times and he was too used to it.
“Many nights when it rains heavily, I am afraid that while I am sleeping, sand will come down and bury my house without me knowing. Therefore, when it rains heavily, I dare not sleep but have to stay awake, because there are still relatives at home,” Duc added.
The worry of having sandstorms pouring into the house at any time during heavy rains, property damage, cleaning up costs and impact on business are the worries that Mr. Duc's family has had to bear for many years.
Heavy rain, water from the high hill on Vo Nguyen Giap Street (706B) overflowed, carrying red sand along 706B Street down to Nguyen Thong Street, causing local flooding. The strong flood current carried a large amount of sand onto the road. The cause was that the stormwater drainage system in the area had not been connected to the drainage system of Exit 01, Street 706B, so the overflowing water carried red sand and mud from the high hill down to the lower level.
According to Phan Thiet city leaders, with the current drainage system, the Provincial Management Board of Civil and Industrial Construction Investment Projects is currently constructing and is expected to complete by the end of September 2024. Therefore, the immediate solution to ensure the safety and lives of residents and tourists is to send forces to stand guard and erect barriers at the location of the red sand flood to prohibit people and vehicles from passing through when it rains heavily.
At the same time, authorities used sandbags and stone baskets to prevent water from flowing upstream, regulating the water flow through many areas to avoid water from pouring down to one point.
