Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a water drainage development master plan worth VND116.5 trillion ($5.54 billion) for the capital city of Hanoi until 2030 to deal with flooding and improve environmental sanitation for local residents. The plan covers the entire drainage system of Hanoi’s administrative boundaries with a total area of 3,344.47sq.m, along with the extension in some areas of Hoa Binh, Ha Nam, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen provinces which share the same rive basins with the city. Under the plan, 39 wastewater treatment plants will be built for urban centers in Hanoi and surrounding areas with a total daily capacity of 1.8 million cu.m by 2030 and 2.5 million cu.m by 2050. As planned, three main drainage systems are to be set up in the basin of To Lich, Nhue and Day rivers; pumping stations, urban irrigation network and reservoirs with self-draining capacity will also be constructed. Currently, the city’s old sewage system can only handle up to 50mm of rainfall daily while Hanoi can see 150mm of rain per day during the rainy season, said Nguyen Le, director of Hanoi Drainage Company. Hanoi now has 23 flooding points during the rainy season since its waterways and sewerage systems are choked with rubbish and silt, which exacerbates the risk of flooding in the rainy season. (Cong An Nhan Dan – People’s Police May 15 p4, Dai Bieu Nhan Dan – People’s Deputies May 15 p2, Nhan Dan – The People May 14)
