Dr. Dang Vu Trong, technical director at Canada-based SNF Group, has proposed using Drag Reduction Polymer (DRP) to reduce flooding in HCM City.

A road section in HCMC is submerged under water after rain. DRP chemical
has been proposed to be used to deal with floods in HCMC (Photo: Thanh Hoa) 

At a seminar on the effectiveness of anti-flooding solutions in HCMC in the last five years and orientations in the 2021-2025 period, held by the HCMC Institute for Development Studies on December 18, Trong said DRP will not affect the natural environment and can increase the water flow by 40% when it dissolves in water.

The city’s current solutions to deal with flooding, such as installing water pumps and upgrading canals, require high costs. Meanwhile, the use of DRP needs less investment and the chemical is easy to use, the local media reported. 

DRP has been used in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, Trong added.

In Canada, DRP was used during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Accordingly, the capacity of the sewer system increased by 20% to 30%.

In Colorado’s capital city of Denver in the United States, DRP was piloted in 2000. As a result, the capacity of the Brantner Culch lift station surged 37% and the city has decided to use the chemical since 2002.

Dr. Vo Kim Cuong, former deputy chief architect of HCMC, raised his concern over the proposal as using chemicals to cope with floods is a new solution that has never been applied in Vietnam. Although many developed countries worldwide may have adopted this solution, Vietnam should consider if its conditions are similar to those in such countries.

In addition, DRP did not cause environmental pollution when it was piloted with clean water, but it remains to be seen whether it gives the same results when dissolving in wastewater in drains. Therefore, the competent agencies should consider the proposal carefully, Cuong remarked.

Dr. Ho Tuan Duc from the HCMC University of Technology was worried about the high volume of solid waste in drains in the city, which may impede the water flow when using DRP.

At the seminar, many experts also proposed the municipal government focus on urgent solutions, such as imposing strict sanctions on those who dump garbage into sewers and encroach on canals and rivers.