Serious flooding in Tan Son Nhat airport

HANOI, SEPTEMBER 23 (Engineering Daily) -- The heavy downpours on August 26 and September 11 caused serious flooding at several sections on the airport’s aprons where aircraft park and passengers board. The most serious flooding was caused on August 26, leaving at least four aprons inundated. Flooding at the airport, an important brand for national aviation, was causing a bad image among Vietnamese and foreign passengers.

The rainwater at the Tan Son Nhat airport is drained into Hy Vong-Tham Luong Canal in Tan Binh District in the north, Canal A41 in the south, and Nhat Ban Canal from the airport fences to Gia Dinh Park in the southeast.

Canal A41 which is responsible for half of rainwater drainage at the country’s busiest airport has been clogged by garbage and encroachments.

To tackle flooding at airport, Ho Chi Minh city will implement key activities as follows.

The HCM city Flood Control Centre will build a reservoir to collect rainwater. Long-term solutions would include investing in dredging and expanding the canal to ensure the release of water.

Tan Binh District authorities will be responsible for the entire project, including site clearance, compensation, construction and management.

The district authority must be held responsible for violations such as illegal building of structures near the canals.

The Transport Department has urged Tan Binh District to immediately resolve any area that causes blockage of water from rubbish, and improve the pumping and releasing of water from the canal.

The HCM city’s People’s Committee urged Tan Binh District to complete site clearance to develop the project to upgrade the canal, which would involve 163 affected households (29 households would have to be relocated) by June next year.

They set a deadline for the completion of the project by 2018, one year earlier than the city’s previous plan.