Climate change alongside shortcomings in urban planning, construction and development have adverse impacts on flooding and waterlogging in Quy Nhon city and the peripheral areas.  At the “Flooding risk management in urban development in Quy Nhon city and the peripheral areas” workshop organized by the Department of Construction, scientists and researchers analyzed, identified causes and recommended solutions out of the problems… 

Flooding not just due to climate change

Climate change has exacerbated flooding and waterlogging in the lower Kon and Ha Thanh rivers with increased flooding levels and prolonged waterlogging, said MA. Huynh Cao Van, Climate Change Coordinating Office of Binh Dinh province (Binh Dinh CCCO). In the severe flood event of September 2009, in Nhon Phu ward (Quy Nhon city) alone, there were appropriately 4,500 houses damaged, causing 80 billion dong in loss, while that of Nhon Binh ward was 200 billion dong…

One of the main reasons leading to serious flooding and waterlogging in Quy Nhon city and the peripheral areas are shortcomings in urban planning, construction and development. Construction works such as schools, industrial clusters have been developed without sufficient attention paid to flood water drainage, thus, causing blockages of waterways . In addition, the majority of flood water drainage systems have been constructed not meeting technical standards, with a significant number of flood water drainage systems blocked by waste and parts of the rivers filled in with soils for house building.

Dr. Tran Van Giai Phong, the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET), provided an insight in the flooding situation in Quy Nhon city. In his opinion, flooding issues in Quy Nhon are caused by construction works being located in the flood water drainage and floodplain areas during the urbanization process, elevated and newly-built roads blocking flood currents, and improper bridge spans of new bridges restricting flood water to drain. Besides, new traffic routes,  apartment buildings, and industrial zones have been constructed without flood water drainage systems being renovated at the same time, leading to exacerbated waterlogging in the lower and central areas of the city.  Meanwhile, the city has not developed flooding maps in the lower areas, making it passive in flood warning and response. In case of a similar flood to the 2009, the situation and damages to Quy Nhon city will be more serious.

Architect Pham Thi Nham, Deputy Director of Vietnam Institute for Urban and Rural Planning (Ministry of Construction) said that while the risks of climate change do not manifest obviously in Quy Nhon city, the impacts of  urbanization on flooding situation are evident, particularly in low-lying areas. In addition, despite existing urban planning, licensing for construction works that encroach into flood drainage and floodplain areas are still in place. It is obvious that Binh Dinh province is lacking not just flooding risk management solutions but also tools and legal corridor for management of urban planning and development.

Solutions for flooding risk management

At the “Flooding risk management in urban development in Quy Nhon city and the peripheral areas” workshop, scientists and researchers recommended a number of practical solutions to reduce flood damage to Quy Nhon city and the peripheral areas.

According to Dr. Tran Van Giai Phong, ISET, Quy Nhon city and the peripheral areas should strengthen protection and renovation of spaces for water; utilize online flooding management and projection tools that help forecast flood water levels, and flood water drainage capacity; provide earlier and more accurate warnings in the flood-prone areas; make more effective emergency response plans; and analyze water storage capacity of reservoirs in the lower areas… At the same time, spaces for water and prevention of constructions/projects encroaching into spaces for water should be included in urban planning and development. Furthermore, the local governments need to pay more aattention to site selection management for urban construction and development; manage construction density; and have measures to prevent flooding in low-lying areas.

A multi-functional flood shelter constructed by CCCO Binh Dinh in Nhon Phu ward

MA.Huynh Cao Van, CCCO Binh Dinh, recommended that Quy Nhon city and the peripheral areas should comply with the Government’s approved planning in their urban construction and planning. Specifically, the Area 2 of Nhon Binh ward and Nhon Phu ward are included in the planning of a new and dynamic center and oriented to develop towards decreased construction density, increased green tree areas, and safe water  fdrainage corridor development in Ha Thanh river branches; creating ecological urban areas, and urban cultural-recreational service centers with landscape in harmony with natural context; construction works nearby estuary flowing into Thi Nai lagoon being warned to take safety measures before and during flood.

According to Architect Pham Thi Nham, Quy Nhon city should develop towards becoming a multi-center city with interlinked transport systems utilized. The adjacent areas of Quy Nhon Bay should promote development of tourism, administrative services, and high-grade commercial services while the plain areas of Tuy Phuoc and Thi Nai lagoon should not promote urban development and should leave minimum 50-meter distances from road sides for flood water drainage corridor. Rural residential areas in Tuy Phuoc should restrict concentration of construction works but disperse them in sub-regions, placing towards East-West. Regarding transportation, Tuy Phuoc needs to avoid making transport routes become dykes but to ensure under-lying drainage systems to facilitate flood water drainage. Binh Dinh province should develop legal corridor that engage multiple sectors, particularly for issues relating to urban planning, construction, development, and transportation, etc.

(Translated and reposted from the website of BinhDinh Newspaper Online)