On the afternoon of July 10, Hanoi City People's Committee held a meeting to inform about the socio-economic development situation in the first 6 months of the year and key tasks for the last 6 months of 2026 of the city.
Hanoi has only invested in about 20% of the drainage system planning
At the press conference, reporters reflected on the flooding situation in some central streets such as Quang Trung - Phan Boi Chau - Ly Thuong Kiet in the afternoon of July 9 - where the city has just completed emergency flood prevention works.
Answering this question, Mr. Truong Hai Long - Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Construction affirmed that emergency flood prevention works after completion and put into operation have significantly improved the city's drainage capacity, contributing to reducing flood area, flood depth and water receding time after rain.
According to Mr. Long, in areas such as Vo Chi Cong, Nghia Do, Lac Long Quan, places that were previously frequently flooded from 15-20cm, now the water has receded significantly faster after rains.
For the rain in the afternoon of July 9, the recorded rainfall ranged from 40-80mm. Due to concentrated rain with high intensity in a short time, the Quang Trung - Ly Thuong Kiet area showed temporary water surge.
Immediately after that, the Department of Construction directed the Hanoi City Technical Infrastructure Management Center to deploy the drainage system operation process. After about 30 minutes, the water has completely receded" - Mr. Long said.
According to the Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, currently the flooding points in the area have basically been well controlled, the flooding time is no longer as long as before but recedes quickly after rain.
Extreme rains in the coming time will be a practical test of the capacity of the drainage system that the city has invested in.
However, according to Mr. Long, with the existing resources, Hanoi has only invested in about 20% of the drainage system planning.
Leaders of the Department of Construction also said that Quang Trung street area has just been renovated by the city with a drainage system, replacing the old sewer line with dimensions of 1.5 x 1.3m with a 2 x 2m box sewer.
This upgrade helps significantly increase the drainage area, increasing drainage flow by about twice.
In the early stages of operation, the connection and regulation of the system were not synchronized, but after adjusting the operating mode and vents, the water in the area receded very quickly.
Hanoi Technical Infrastructure Management Center holds meeting to review and draw experience
On July 10, the Hanoi Technical Infrastructure Management Center informed about some localized flooding points in the city on the afternoon of July 9.
Hanoi Technical Infrastructure Management Center is the unit assigned to manage and operate the urban drainage system in the city.
In the afternoon of July 9, due to the influence of a low pressure trough with its axis passing through the Northern region, the central area of Hanoi had heavy rain from about 40-80mm with rainfall measured in some areas: Yen So 84.4mm; Viet Hung 73.6mm; Hoang Mai 63.7mm; Hai Ba Trung 52.8mm; Thanh Liet 46.5mm... so localized flooding occurred at some points in the city such as Lien Tri - Nguyen Gia Thieu, Quang Trung - Tran Quoc Toan, Phan Boi Chau - Ly Thuong Kiet intersection, Ba Trieu intersection.
When it rained, the Center requested the construction and operation unit to open the discharge gate into Bay Mau Lake in Thong Nhat Park to ensure drainage for the surrounding area (because the project is in the process of acceptance and handover for use).
However, due to the slow operation of the fairway connecting Quang Trung street drainage to Thong Nhat Park regulating lake, it was not timely, causing localized flooding.
After 30 minutes when the spillway was opened, the flooded points above had drained all the water.
After being invested and put into operation, the local drainage system has helped drainage take place faster. Other flooding points are all controlled, in addition to the unfortunate incident due to the slow operation of the faucet connecting the Thong Nhat Park regulating lake mentioned above.
The Hanoi Technical Infrastructure Management Center held a review meeting on the evening of July 9 to draw experience in organizing the operation of the system to prevent incidents like the recent one.
