According to data from the city Steering Center of Urban Flood Control Program, the city now have 14 streets regularly flooded after rains.
Twenty one streets are inundated sometimes when there are heavy rains, where formerly anti-flooding projects have been implemented and drainage system has been installed.
Long badly submerged streets concentrate in Districts 6, 8, 9, 12, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Binh Thanh, Go Vap and Thu Duc. To Ngoc Van street in Thu Duc has seen swift flowing water during heavy rains.
Newly built Pham Van Dong street has been submerged in the auto lane’s stretch 200 meters from Binh Loi Bridge. In two wheel vehicle lanes, many sections were found lie under 40 centimeters of water in recent rains.
Worst flooded streets in Go Vap district comprise Cay Tram, Le Van Tho and Phan Huy Ich.
In the western side of the city, Kinh Duong Vuong, Ho Hoc Lam, An Duong Vuong, Nguyen Thuc Duong, Tan Hoa Dong in Binh Tan district; Lo Sieu in District 11 and Au Co in Tan Phu have also been inundated.
The number of flooded streets is in fact higher than statistics by the center.
Tan Tao intersection is heavily flooded after a heavy rain in Binh Tan district after a heavy rain on May 15
Anti-flooding system does not work
According to the Steering Center of Urban Flood Control Program, the city has solved rainwater flooding in five streets and tide caused flooding in two streets, functioned 16 drainage culvert systems with the total length of 62.5 kilometers and dredged 38.4 kilometers of canals.
This year, the center has set a target of tacking flooding in 13 streets comprising Truong Vinh Ky and Go Dau in Tan Phu, An Duong Vuong in District 8 and speeding up progress of tide control culverts installation of the VND10 trillion (US$441 million) anti-flooding project, which is expected to mitigate flooding for 550 square kilometers once the first phase is built next year.
For the last ten years, authorized agencies have reported that they have solved tens of flooded spots. So the problem here is that why flooding has still occurred even in streets with fully invested drainage systems like Pham Van Dong and Vo Van Kiet.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hoi living near Binh Loi bridge wondered if Pham Van Dong street’s drainage system is located higher than culverts from residential areas, imperceptibly making the street a dyke causing floodwaters have no way to run out.
Similarly, after being built Tan Hoa-Lo Gom canal cleanup project has been expected to tackle flooding for about 19 square kilometers with 130,000 residents in Districts 6, 8, 11, Tan Binh and Tan Phu. The canal starts from Dong Den street in Tan Binh, cross Au Co street in Tan Phu to reach Vo Van Kiet boulevard in District 6.
Tan Tao intersection is heavily flooded after a heavy rain Binh Tan district on May 15 (Photo: SGGP) However, the area has been flooded after heavy rains two years after the project was built. Rainwaters have turned streets into rivers in the upper reaches of the canal such as Au Co, Nguyen Hong Dao, Bau Cat and Thoai Ngoc Hau.
The center blamed the situation for downgraded drainage system, low-lying road face and canal encroachment.
This year, the center plans to solve flooding for 13 out of 17 streets flooded due to rainwaters, 179 alleys and nine street submerged due to tide water.
Besides, districts have proposed the list of 1,127 streets and alleys in need of upgrading and improving drainage systems to synchronously connect them with the VND10 trillion anti-flooding project.
Workers wade across rainwater under Tan Tao tunnel on May 15 (Photo: SGGP)
Tan Hoa Dong street, Binh Tan is badly flooded in the area where Tan Hoa-Lo Gom canal cleanup project has been built (Photo: SGGP) 
