High river tides measuring 1.66 meters flooded Saigon’s streets on Sunday and many motorbike riders took a tumble while trying to navigate them.
High river tides measuring 1.66 meters flooded Saigon’s streets on Sunday and many motorbike riders took a tumble while trying to navigate them.
At both the Nha Be Station on the Dong Dien River and the Phu An Station on the Saigon River the tide measured 1.66 meters, according to the Southern Hydrometeorological Center. Many low-lying areas in expat neighborhoods such as Tran Xuan Soan and Huynh Tan Phat streets in District 7 and Luong Dinh Cua Street in District 2 looked like lakes.
On Truong Dinh Hoi Street in District 4 under the Tan Thuan 1 Bridge the water level stood at nearly 50 cm, causing many motorbikes to stall.
A car struggles to go through a flooded street in District 4.
The center has forecast the tide to rise to 1.76 meters at the Nha Be Station by 5 p.m. on Monday, the highest this year.
Truong Thi Nhu Loi, 19, a visitor from the neighboring Dong Nai Province, walks through a flooded street to reach a relative's house in District 4 after her motorbike stalled. She said: "The street was flooded and my husband has to wheel our motorbike. I was pregnant, and so I have to carefully walk on the sidewalk."
A woman staggers while riding on Truong Dinh Hoi Street.
Nguyen Thi Xuan of Nha Be District fell after her motorbike hit a pothole.
"Due to the water I could not see potholes," she said. She was helped up by a passer-by.
At 5:30 p.m., when the waters receded somewhat, motorcyclists wheel their vehicles through a street under 30 cm of water.
Huynh Minh Thong, who sells banh gio (rice dumpling), said: "The roads were very difficult to navigate. If we are not careful, it would be easy to get stuck in potholes."
A portion of a tide-control sewer system that is being built was also flooded on Truong Dinh Hoi Street. Work on it began in 2016 and it is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year. Once built, the sewer system will prevent tides in the Saigon River from entering the Te, Doi and Tau Hu - Ben Nghe canals, preventing flooding in districts 4, 7 and 8.
In District 7 in the south of HCMC, the Te Canal overflowed into Tran Xuan Soan Street, turning it into a river.
Meteorologist Le Thi Xuan Lan said, "Ninety percent of this year's highest tides will occur in October and November due to the changes in the gravitational pull of the moon and earth." The levels would gradually decrease next year, reaching their lowest in July, she added.
Ha Thi Nguyet Thuy, owner of a food stall in Tan Thuan Tay Ward (District 7), has two layers of bricks under her ovens to prepare for the Monday afternoon tides. She said in the last two days her whole family woke up at around 3 a.m. after water entered her house.
Source : https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/river-tides-rise-high-flood-saigon-streets-4192234.html
