As the rains stop and water recedes, trash floods Hanoi commune

400 hectares of the Nam Phuong Tien Commune in Chuong My District, more than one hour southwest of Hanoi's center, are still flooded after the heavy rains more than a week ago. 830 households remain isolated, and 647 homes are inundated. The lives of more than 3,000 people have been badly disrupted.

Ten days after recent heavy rains brought by a storm-turned-tropical depression flooded many parts of the capital city, residential areas in Chuong My District are still coping with the flood water.

In Nam Phuong Tien Commune, residents have no choice but to travel by boats on their streets that have turned into waterways. More than a week after the flooding, the water level has only receded by five centimeters, while many homes are flooded by 0.35 meters to more than two meters.

“Trash has been flowing to my house for a week, I have to use a stick to keep them outside,” says Nguyen Thi Quyet, a resident of Nam Phuong Tien Commune.

Many public places, including an assembly hall and kindergartens, are still half immersed in water. 

"The high water levels have brought trash from dumpsites here, where they flow into houses or get stuck in other places. Yesterday, we collected seven trucks of trash, but the situation has not improved,” said a commune official. 

A woman takes some grass for her livestock, which have been temporarily evacuated because of the prolonged flooding.

Some families have devised their own rafts to cross flooded areas.

Officials have said that under favorable weather conditions, it could take up to a month for the water to recede completely.

Domestic and animal waste in the water makes it stink and increases the risks of disease outbreaks.

Disinfection efforts have not made much progress. "We cannot spray disinfectants now because the water level is too high. We will wait for a few days until it goes down," said a commune official. Frequent flooding of Nam Phuong Tien commune has prompted authorities to think of relocating its entire population. Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung has said that the city will seek capital to invest in infrastructure aimed at relocating households from the flood-prone area to higher places.