Heavy rains and excessive amounts of rubbish have worsened flooding in HCM City (Photo: laodong.vn) HCM City (VNA) - An excessive amount of rubbish andlitter is blocking drains and sewers in Ho Chi Minh City, worsening flooding in therainy season.
Bui Quang Truong, head of the city’s UrbanDrainage Company’s rainwater management system, said that locals were trying toprevent odours from drains by dumping trash or covering trench drains andsewers with wooden sticks, plastic bags and other items.
“Every rainy season, sewer workers conductperiodic inspections to remove items blocking the sewers,” he said. “Somelocals don’t want us to do this, and will reblock them after we remove therubbish."
Before, during and after rains, sewer workersare sent to flood-prone areas to collect rubbish and clear the sewage system.
However, these areas are a small part of the1,400km-long sewer and 80,000 tunnels that the company currently manages, Truongsaid.
According to environmental experts, nearly 40 percentof the drainage capacity of the sewer system is affected by excessive amountsof rubbish.
Flooding is often seen along streets in BinhThanh district, Tan Binh district, and districts 5 and 6, especially in Cho Lon.
Sewer worker Le Van Long said that locals blamethe authorities for not protecting the environment, but that it is actually thelocals who cause the problem. Long said that he had to dive into the water toclear rubbish from one canal, but then “it became full of trash again”.
Ho Long Phi, Director of the Centre of WaterManagement and Climate Change under the HCM City National University, said thatenvironmental awareness among local residents must be improved througheducation campaigns.
While people should proactively protect theenvironment, stricter punishment is also needed, he said, adding that it wasalso essential to assign responsibility to a group of households living neareach sewer entrance.
Huynh Minh Nhut, Director of the HCM City UrbanEnvironment Company, said that management tasks were unclear and wastecollection was inefficient.
Units of the HCM City Department of Transportare responsible for road maintenance and clearing garbage blocking the sewagesystem, while environmental sanitation workers take care of garbage collectionon the roads.
Nhut said the city should form a specialisedunit to clear rubbish from sewers.
At a recent meeting on socio-economicdevelopment, Chairman of the city People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong agreedthat excessive garbage and heavy rainfall had overloaded the drainage capacityof the sewage system.
As a result, severe flooding on a large scalecould occur, he said, adding that locals’ small actions can also help theeffort to clear rubbish.-VNA
Bui Quang Truong, head of the city’s UrbanDrainage Company’s rainwater management system, said that locals were trying toprevent odours from drains by dumping trash or covering trench drains andsewers with wooden sticks, plastic bags and other items.
“Every rainy season, sewer workers conductperiodic inspections to remove items blocking the sewers,” he said. “Somelocals don’t want us to do this, and will reblock them after we remove therubbish."
Before, during and after rains, sewer workersare sent to flood-prone areas to collect rubbish and clear the sewage system.
However, these areas are a small part of the1,400km-long sewer and 80,000 tunnels that the company currently manages, Truongsaid.
According to environmental experts, nearly 40 percentof the drainage capacity of the sewer system is affected by excessive amountsof rubbish.
Flooding is often seen along streets in BinhThanh district, Tan Binh district, and districts 5 and 6, especially in Cho Lon.
Sewer worker Le Van Long said that locals blamethe authorities for not protecting the environment, but that it is actually thelocals who cause the problem. Long said that he had to dive into the water toclear rubbish from one canal, but then “it became full of trash again”.
Ho Long Phi, Director of the Centre of WaterManagement and Climate Change under the HCM City National University, said thatenvironmental awareness among local residents must be improved througheducation campaigns.
While people should proactively protect theenvironment, stricter punishment is also needed, he said, adding that it wasalso essential to assign responsibility to a group of households living neareach sewer entrance.
Huynh Minh Nhut, Director of the HCM City UrbanEnvironment Company, said that management tasks were unclear and wastecollection was inefficient.
Units of the HCM City Department of Transportare responsible for road maintenance and clearing garbage blocking the sewagesystem, while environmental sanitation workers take care of garbage collectionon the roads.
Nhut said the city should form a specialisedunit to clear rubbish from sewers.
At a recent meeting on socio-economicdevelopment, Chairman of the city People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong agreedthat excessive garbage and heavy rainfall had overloaded the drainage capacityof the sewage system.
As a result, severe flooding on a large scalecould occur, he said, adding that locals’ small actions can also help theeffort to clear rubbish.-VNA
VNA
