Around the story of the Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee offering a "hot" reward to those who give advice on flood prevention

Although the project to enhance urban resilience, renovate the drainage system of 32 roads, and build sluice gates to prevent tides is being implemented, the inner city area is still flooded, so Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau has offered a reward of 50 million VND for anyone who can give a solution to this problem.

At a meeting with leaders of departments and branches on the afternoon of July 4, Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau said: "The flooding situation has caused frustration among the city's people and created a bad impression on tourists. Sewer water overflows onto the streets, giving off a foul smell, making it difficult for people to travel, and lurking the risk of disease. Witnessing students wading through water to go to school, I am very heartbroken."

Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau offered a "hot" reward to anyone who gives advice on solving the flooding problem in the inner city area.

A representative of the Department of Construction of Can Tho City reviewed the most recent rainstorm that lasted from 4:50 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on May 27. The rainfall measured in Ninh Kieu was nearly 67mm, causing flooding in 20 streets and residential areas. The average water level was 10-30cm, and the flooding lasted 2-4 hours. According to authorities, the cause of flooding was low terrain, old and unsynchronized drainage systems, concreting the ground so that water could not penetrate, clogged drains, or elevation differences that caused slow drainage. In particular, high tides combined with heavy rains caused widespread flooding in the inner city of Can Tho in September, October, and November every year.

Heavy rain caused flooding on Tran Hung Dao Street, Ninh Kieu Ward (Can Tho City).

To respond, the city is implementing the Can Tho City Development Project and enhancing urban adaptability with World Bank loans, renovating the drainage system of 32 roads, building Can Tho River embankments, Cai Son - Muong Khai canal embankments, building tide-prevention sluices, renovating 17 inner-city canals... Vice Chairman of Ninh Kieu Ward People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc Anh said that in recent times, the city has invested in many flood prevention projects, especially in the central area, but flooding still occurs frequently, not only during the flood season but also during heavy rains.

According to Mr. Anh, the dike and tide-prevention projects have shown certain effectiveness, but the prolonged urbanization process has made the drainage system, especially wastewater and surface rainwater drainage, inconsistent. Many roads have been completed but cannot be connected to other projects. Some residential areas have residents but have not yet connected to the common drainage system. "After about 30 minutes of heavy rain, the roads are flooded because the sewers are small and do not have enough capacity," said the Vice Chairman of Ninh Kieu Ward People's Committee.

Tran Viet Chau Street, Cai Khe Ward, flooded after heavy rain.

Ninh Kieu ward leaders proposed that the city should soon plan to renovate the drainage system, calculate infrastructure connections in projects, and promptly clear canals to ensure drainage, invest in wastewater treatment systems to limit pollution, and create a foundation for the development of Can Tho's strong river tourism economy .

According to Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau, there are three main causes of flooding: high tides, prolonged heavy rains and a combination of both. The city has built structures to cope with high tides, but there is still a lack of fundamental solutions for heavy rains. The cause has been found but solutions are still at a standstill.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to forecast water levels, operate the sewer system and boat locks synchronously, and assign shifts when tidal rains occur at the same time. In addition, internal shortcomings are also very serious such as small, degraded drainage culverts, clogged with mud and trash; unsynchronized construction, different road elevations; encroachment on drainage corridors, illegal construction obstructing the flow.

The City People's Committee assigned the Department of Construction to survey the entire drainage system and add manholes where necessary to increase the capacity of garbage collection. Localities will allocate funds and organize regular dredging of sewers to avoid backlogs as at present, while strengthening propaganda to raise people's awareness of proper waste disposal. Can Tho currently has a wastewater treatment plant with a current capacity of 24,000 - 26,000 m³/day and night, but the actual capacity is much higher, so it is necessary to review and propose the construction of a second plant to ensure a long-term living environment.

“I am offering a reward to anyone who has an effective initiative or solution to prevent flooding, helping the city escape flooding in the next few rains. I will reward 50 million VND, give unexpected compliments and consider planning a higher location. Anyone who has a good idea can text me or make a specific topic and send it,” emphasized Chairman of Can Tho City People’s Committee Tran Van Lau...

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/xung-quanh-chuyen-chu-tich-unbd-tp-can-tho-treo-thuong-nong-cho-nguoi-hien-ke-chong-ngap-i773805/