Work on fortifying urban embankments and drainage systems to prevent recurring riverside landslides and reducing perennial traffic jams is being implemented far too slowly in Ho Chi Minh City, which was heavily submerged under floodwaters on December 4.
The rising tidewaters of the Saigon River reached 1.68cms higher than normal level, a record high in past six decades. Hundreds of houses in Thu Duc District were inundated by floodwaters and many people had to be evacuated at nighttime.
Some dykes and embankments in Thu Duc District and District 12 were severely breached, which led to hundreds of households being inconvenienced.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the local authorities must promptly deploy the 34 uPVC plastic embankment project to deal with landslides and flooding. Documents of the project and capital required are currently awaiting approval.
