If you were caught in waist-deep water yesterday, you weren’t the only one. The floodwaters reached 1.64 meters, breaking the previous record. But the worst might not yet be over.
The Southern Hydro-meteorological Station is warning that yesterday’s record high record may be short lived as waters are expected to reach 1.65 meters in some areas of the city this afternoon.
Based on reports, it seems like the districts most affected by the flooding have been District 2, District 8, District 7 and Binh Thanh and Thu Duc Districts.
65-year-old, le Hogn Trang of Thu Duc District said that her family is using 3 pumps to remove water from her home:
“My family has experienced many sleepless nights due to floodwater that submerged everything.”
According to Le Thi Xuan Lan, an expert at the Southern Hydro-meteorological Station, the ongoing cold front has “forced the northeast winds to blow more water to river mouths.”
Others, such as Prof. Dr Le Huy Ba, pointed to the degradation and destruction of ponds, lakes, river branches and canals in the city which act as natural drainage systems:
“25-30 percent of canals in the city have been filled up and many construction projects have leveled swamps, causing a loss of areas that can hold water,” he explained.
City authorities seem to agree with the professor as Do Tan Long, head of the city’s Anti-Flooding Program Operating Center, said that the city is investigating plans to create more outlets for flood water.
Did you get caught in the flood yesterday? Share your story in the comments below.
[Tuoi Tre]
