Da Lat proposes emergency flood prevention action

In a document sent from the Da Lat People’s Committee to the Lam Dong Province Department of Planning and Investment, the proposed projects would be conducted in flood-prone areas where people’s homes are under threat of being washed away.

Sewers congested by overwhelming lake water deposits would also be cleared out, repaired and expanded.

Van Kiep Lake in Wards 7 and 8 would be dredged and repaired so that it could once again regulate water flows into downtown Da Lat to prevent floods. The project would also "improve the area's environmental aesthetics, serve ecotourism," and help "flush the water environment of the Phan Dinh Phung-Cam Ly stream system," according to authorities.

The project is estimated to cost VND282 billion ($11.87 million) and be completed in three years.

Another proposed project to reinforce the banks of Cam Ly stream would cost around VND171 billion to create better flood drainage and fight inundation.

Other projects would include dredging Me Linh Lake, reinforcing banks of the Nghe Tinh and Van Kiep streams, expanding the Phan Dinh Phung stream system, and building anti-erosion dikes along Van Thanh, Ha Huy Tap and Dong Da streets.

Da Lat has been experiencing frequent floods during heavy rains. There are around 210 erosion "hot-spots" in the city, mainly along roads, according to statistics from the Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources. Two people died and several were injured following a landslide on Hoang Hoa Tham Street late last month.