The tide waters are predicted to rise in Ho Chi Minh City on January 31 to February 4 (December 28 to January 2 on lunar calendar).
The Southern Meteorology and Hydrology Forecasting Center has predicted that the high tide will peak on December 29, January 1 and 2(lunar calendar) during the morning hours and between 5-7pm.
This year the tide is expected to be 2-3 centimeters higher than previous years during the same period. Last year the tide rose to 1.4 meters at the Phu An station, inundating some districts like 6, 8, 12 and Thu Duc.
According to Le Thi Xuan Lan, deputy head of the Southern Meteorology and Hydrology Forecasting Center, the tide is expected to submerge many more districts than previous years. The cause of this is the seasonal northeastern gale which will have the velocity to cause the tide to rise higher than normal.
The districts most vulnerable to flooding are Hiep Binh Chanh and Hiep binh Phuoc in district Thu Duc, wards 25, 27, Thanh Da and Van Thanh in district Binh Thanh. Ms. Lan warned that the high tide would affect the lives and daily activities of residents and people must exercise caution when moving around in these areas.
The Flood Prevention Steering Board ordered the most vulnerable districts to do frequent checks of embankments and prepare pumping machines to help people move around more easily during the Tet season.
