Hanoi City has developed a master plan to combat flooding in the 2026 rainy and storm season, and synchronously implemented many solutions to improve drainage capacity and respond to extreme rain situations.
Statistics for 2025 show that Hanoi experienced one of the most severe rainy seasons in many years with a total average rainfall of about 2,050 mm, with 77 days of rain, of which the inner city had 65 days of heavy rain over 50 mm.
The city was also affected by many strong storms such as WIPHA, KAJIKI, RAGASA, BUALOI and MATMO. Rainfall reached 420 mm/day at times, causing 92 flooding points to appear throughout the area.
To respond, the pumping station operated for more than 11,262 hours, pumping nearly 197 million m3 of water into the Red River. Tens of thousands of m3 of mud in sewers, ditches, and rivers were dredged to increase drainage capacity.
Stepping into 2026, the weather situation is forecast to continue to be complicated due to the impact of climate change. Localized heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong storms are likely to appear with a higher frequency than the multi-year average.
In addition to weather factors, Hanoi's drainage system is also under great pressure from ongoing infrastructure projects such as Yen Xa wastewater treatment system, metro lines No. 2 and No. 5. Temporary barriers and drainage on the Lu, Set, Kim Nguu rivers... significantly affect drainage capacity.
According to the 2026 plan, Hanoi divides the drainage system into many key basins to build appropriate solutions. In which, the To Lich River basin continues to be a priority area with the Yen So Pumping Station system and large regulating lakes such as West Lake, Linh Dam, Yen So playing a key role.
In the Ta Nhue and Huu Nhue river basins, the biggest difficulty is that the infrastructure is not synchronized, heavily dependent on the water level of the Nhue and Day rivers. Yen Nghia pumping station, although it has been operating, the canals have not been completed, so the drainage efficiency is still limited.
Representatives of Hanoi Drainage One Member Limited Liability Company said that the unit has built 6 groups of key solutions including maintaining the sewer system, operating pumping stations flexibly, applying digital transformation, installing field pumps at low-lying points and strengthening monitoring through camera systems and automatic rain gauges.
At the same time, Hanoi City has early issued a plan to ensure drainage in the rainy season, and at the same time deployed 10 urgent orders to improve transmission capacity, regulate drainage and improve infrastructure in key areas.
According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Toan - Deputy General Director of Hanoi Drainage One Member Limited Liability Company, Hanoi City has developed response scenarios according to each level of rain, arranged 100% on-duty forces, maximized operation of pumping stations, combined with mobile pumping vehicles to handle flooding points. At the same time, deployed uncovering underground culverts at the main water collection axes from many areas such as Pham Hung, Xuan La, Co Nhue... to ensure urban drainage.
At the same time, Mr. Hoang Chien Thang - Director of Yen So Headwork Complex Management Enterprise said that the regulating gates have been maintained and repaired, ready to operate to serve drainage during the 2026 rainy and storm season.
Also according to a representative of Hanoi Drainage Company, when the water level of the Nhue River is at a normal level, water from the culverts can naturally drain into the river. However, if the river water rises, the risk of congestion and backflow will occur. At that time, the spillway system will be closed and the pumping stations will take on the main drainage role.
In extreme rain situations, Hanoi will mobilize all forces to ensure safety for people and minimize damage. When completed, key projects will contribute to solving many bottlenecks and improving drainage efficiency for the Capital," said a representative of Hanoi Drainage Company.
