For many days now, Mr. Duong Van Trung’s family, living on Tran Xuan Soan Street, has had to endure living in the middle of a “sea of water” due to high tides. Mr. Trung said that twice a day, morning and afternoon, the water level from Te Canal (District 7) rises, flooding the entire street and entering the house.
“There were days when the water rose at 3-4am, and my whole family had to stay up to build partitions and place electronic devices high up to limit damage to furniture. When the water receded, I had to spend at least an hour draining water and cleaning the house,” said Mr. Trung.
Not far away, Mrs. Tran Thi Hong's family is in a similar situation.
“Large vehicles passing by create waves that push water into houses, bringing with them trash. Even though there are sandbags, they still cannot prevent water from flooding into houses. Business during high tides also becomes sluggish because people are afraid to go through Tran Xuan Soan Street,” said Ms. Hong.
In addition to Tran Xuan Soan Street in District 7, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, several other roads in Ho Chi Minh City such as Dao Su Tich, Le Van Luong (Nha Be District), Huynh Tan Phat (District 7), National Highway 50 (Binh Chanh District)... are also at risk of severe flooding.
According to the Southern Hydrometeorological Station, the water level at stations downstream of the Saigon - Dong Nai river system peaked during the high tide on September 15 (lunar calendar) and was at a high level. Currently, the peak water level at the stations has slowly decreased.
Water levels at most stations in the downstream of the Saigon – Dong Nai River are likely to drop rapidly in the next 5 days. The highest daily tide peak at or above alert level I is likely to last until the end of October 22.
According to the meteorological agency, today's high tide level combined with heavy rain is likely to cause flooding in low-lying areas and riverside areas, affecting traffic and people's daily activities.
According to Mr. Le Dinh Quyet - Head of Forecast Division, Southern Hydrometeorological Station, it is forecasted that in October, there will be many rainy days and the total rainfall will be large, along with high tides, there will be a very high risk of flooding. Therefore, people need to be very proactive to avoid the harmful effects of high tides as well as consecutive floods.
