In the memory of many households living on the Doi canal road in the Phu Dinh tide-blocking culvert area (Phu Dinh ward, Ho Chi Minh City), high tides were once a constant obsession whenever the water rises.
Recalling the hard time that has passed, Ms. Phan Thi Thuy Lien, a long-time resident on Dinh An Tai street, shared: "Every time I hear news of high tide, my whole family is restless. The small road along the canal turns into muddy water, water overflows the threshold and floods half of the house. Belongings are damaged, life is turned upside down. For several years, every day when the tide rises, the whole family rushes to build embankments, raise furniture and drain water from inside the house, which is very hard.
Phu Dinh tide control culvert located on Doi canal, is one of the six main items of the 10,000 billion VND flood prevention project of Ho Chi Minh City (besides Ben Nghe, Tan Thuan, Phu Xuan, Muong Chuoi and Cay Kho culverts). However, from the end of 2020, the project fell into prolonged stagnation. Although living right next to the trillion-VND flood prevention project, hundreds of households here still have to endure flooding and cope manually for many years.
Completely different from the scene of flooded swamps and unfinished construction sites before, the Phu Dinh sluice area recently recorded an urgent construction atmosphere after a restart period. According to a representative of the construction unit, the main valve door item of the Phu Dinh sluice has now been completed and officially put into operation. The construction force is focusing on completing the valve door system in the boat lock and pumping station area, striving to complete the entire project by the end of September.
Along with the progress of the project, the surrounding traffic infrastructure also recorded a major shift. The small, narrow road of the past has been upgraded and expanded into a spacious, clean and beautiful road.
Ms. Lam Thi Soc (Phu Dinh ward) said that the wide and dry roads make it convenient to pick up and drop off children from school, and her small water stall also welcomes more visitors, and business has become prosperous.
Seeing the face of the village changing day by day, many families along the Doi canal are also excited to start renovating their houses, raising the foundation, and replenishing the house to settle down for a long time. I hope the project will continue to synchronously complete the remaining items, maximizing the effectiveness of flood prevention to bring a green - clean - beautiful landscape and a civilized living environment for the whole area," Ms. Soc shared.
Sharing the same joy, Mr. Tran Van Nam, owner of a small business along the Doi canal, shared: "A few years ago, every time the water rose, the road turned into a river, shops had to close and stop selling because there were no customers passing by. Now the road is wide and dry, and my family's business has become bustling again. Looking at the spacious road in front of the house, everyone in the neighborhood is excited because life has really changed.
The completion of the Phu Dinh tide control culvert not only completely solves the prolonged flooding situation for local people, but also makes an important contribution to the common tide control goal of Ho Chi Minh City.
