Historic tidal surges flood HCM City

High tidal surges, plus the discharge of water from the Dau Tieng Reservoir, on November 13 breached several sections of the Saigon River dyke system and flooded many parts of Ho Chi Minh City.

Rising water levels submerged the city’s outlying districts, including No 2, No 6, Thu Duc and Binh Thanh, as well as Binh Nham, An Son, Vinh Phu, An Thanh and Lai Thieu communes in Binh Duong province.

The tidal surges, said to be the biggest in the past 50 years, caused traffic chaos on major roads such as Nguyen Huu Canh, Nguyen Van Luong, Kinh Duong Vuong, and at Ngo Quyen, Nguyen Trai and Phu Lam roundabouts.

A section of the river dyke in Hiep Binh Phuoc ward was breached, putting several places in the ward 40-50cm under water and threatening to destroy dozens of yellow apricot gardens reserved for the upcoming traditional lunar New Year holidays.

Meanwhile, the Saigon River dyke system was also breached in Binh Duong province’s Thuan An district, prompting households to evacuate to higher ground. Hundreds of local households in Lai Thieu and Thuan An districts fear they will face serious losses this year as their mangosteen and durian orchards are being submerged.

According to the southern weather forecast bureau, high tidal surges, accompanied by a tropical low depression, will continue to flood HCM City and adjacent areas. The depression, which was 130km away from the central coastline at 07.00 on November 14, is expected to bring heavy rains to the Central Highland and southern regions in the coming days.