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Three die in Hanoi’s first downpour
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VietNamNet Bridge – A three hour downpour on July 13 flooded many streets in the capital. Traffic was blocked for many hours. More rain is due in the next few days.

Downpour hit as people headed for work

Beginning just before eight a.m., over 130 millimeters of rain fell on Hanoi in three hours, far exceeding the city’s "limited drainage capacity,” Construction Department spokesman Do Xuan Anh said.

Over 100mm fell in outlying districts such as Dong Anh and Ha Dong Town. In the Long Bien area nearly 160mm fell. About 22 key points in the city were under up to half a meter of flood water.

Water was over a meter deep in the new Kim Lien underpass, which connects Dai Co Viet and Dao Duy Anh streets in Hai Ba Trung District.

The downpour caused traffic jams on many major thoroughfares.

"I tried many ways to find a way to my office but it seemed that every street was flooded, making it hard for vehicles to move," said IT company official Nguyen Thanh Huong, who works in Thai Ha Street. "It took me two hours to go to my office instead of the normal half an hour," she said.

Because of the downpour, many officies in Hanoi were very quiet all day.



Another storm expected soon

Vietnam’s weather service has posted warnings of a tropical storm gathering strength in the area between the Philippines and China’s Hainan Island. The first typhoon of the season could, if it stays on course, bring more heavy rain to northern Vietnam by 18 July.


Widespread destruction

Some nineteen fallen trees also impeded traffic flows. On Ly Thuong Kiet Street, falling trees hit three cars.

Two people in Hai Ba Trung District’s Truong Dinh street and another person in Ba Dinh District’s Ngoc Ha street were electrocuted when flood waters shorted wiring in their houses.

The Hanoi Electricity Company warned residents that wet walls increase the risk of electrocution during heavy rain. The company shut down hundreds of transformer stations in the city for safety reasons and cut 16 electricity lines of 220 kV while workers checked flooded areas.

Fifteen hundred workers from the Ha Noi drainage company, in co-operation with police and city departments of transport and construction, were mobilised to clear drains, remove rubbish and keep traffic order.

All 11 pumps of the Yen So pumping station were put into operation but could not cope with the deluge. Later this year additional pumps will be installed, designed to be sufficient to cope with with storms bringing up to 300 millimeters of rain.

The Hanoi traffic rescue centre was busy from the morning until evening with hundreds of calls made from around the city pleading for rescue service for cars which broke down in flooded locations.

At Truong Chinh garage on Giai Phong road, Bui Dinh Sinh said that until 3pm, the garage received about 400 calls asking for rescue. The firm’s seven rescue trucks worked the whole day but could only save several dozen cars.

Other traffic service companies were in the same situation. “We have six rescue trucks but we couldn’t get to many cars because of deep flood and traffic jams,” said Bui Xuan Xuyen of Northern Traffic Service Ltd.

Nguyen Hong Hai at the Hanoi Trade Development Company, which has ten rescue trucks, said his company only accepted orders from several dozen drivers.



Current drainage system was overwhelmed

Hanoi Construction Department director Do Xuan Anh said the department tried its best but it couldn’t prevent floods in a sudden downpour of up to 136mm.

Asked what might happen if a similar downpour comes during Hanoi’s great anniversary in October, Anh said: “We have to seek ways to cope with the heaviest downpours. Upgrades to the drainage system are being implemented very fast.”

He said the Hanoi will double its drainage capacity by late this year, enough to deal with rains of over 300mm.

At the same time, Hanoi chairman Nguyen The Thao also confirmed to the media on the afternoon of July 13 that the city has measures to deal with downpours during the city’s 1000th birthday celebration. Relevant agencies have been instructed to check and adjust water drainage plans. Two major tasks have been carried out: upgrading lakes in the city and construction of the Yen So 2 pumping station. Thao estimated present capacity can can currently deal with rains of up to 172 millimeters in a two day period.


PV