Da Nang streets turn filthy waterways amid heavy downpours

By Nguyen Dong   September 12, 2021 | 06:33 am PT
Heavy rains triggered by storm Conson flooded many Da Nang streets, forcing residents on motorbikes, in cars and on foot to navigate their way through filthy waters.
Downpours on Sunday afternoon flood Le Duan Street, located in Thanh Khue and Hai Chau districts. The water level, reaching up to 50 cm, makes it difficult for vehicles to travel.  Due to the tropical depression from the storm, Da Nang receives up to 200 mm of rain on Sunday, and 250 mm in some areas.

Le Duan Street in Hai Chau District, Sunday afternoon. The water level reached 50 cm in places, making it difficult for vehicles to travel. Da Nang received up to 200 mm of rain Sunday, with rainfall of 250 mm in some areas.
Storm Conson weakened into a tropical depression Sunday morning and was near the coast of Da Nang at 9 p.m.

Ham Nghi Street, where two detention basins are located, is flooded by heavy rain.  From 2 to 4 p.m., the water level on the street remains, while the water level in the two basins is as high as the street. Cars in many underground parking lots of building on the streets have been taken to the ground and park on the pavement to avoid floods in the basement.

The Ham Nghi Street, where two detention basins are located.
From 2 to 4 p.m., the water level on the street remained high. Cars in many underground parking lots were taken out and parked on the sidewalk.

Cars travel from Ly Thai To Street must turn around before reaching Ham Nghi Street. Many motorbikes stop running.  Surrounding streets like Hung Vuong, Quang Dung, and Van Cao face the same flood with water levels up to 50 cm.

Cars on Ly Thai To Street had to turn around before reaching Ham Nghi Street. Many motorbikes broke down. Surrounding streets like Hung Vuong, Quang Dung, and Van Cao also had water levels of up to 50 cm.

Many motorbikes die on Nguyen Van Linh Street.

A man tries to get his stalled motorbike off Nguyen Van Linh Street.

A pipe from a construction site on Nguyen Van Linh Street floats to Ham Nghi Street, and is taken to the pavement by a local. Many households have put barriers in front of their houses to prevent the water from entering.

A pipe from a construction site on Nguyen Van Linh Street floated to Ham Nghi Street and was taken to the sidewalk by a local. Many households put barriers in front to prevent the water from entering their houses.

A Covid-19 checkpoint on Dang Thanh Mai Street is drowning in water.After three weeks of requiring people to shelter in place, the central city has designated areas as red, yellow and green, meaning ‘very high risk,’ ‘high and medium risk’ and ‘low risk’ areas earlier this month, switching to less stringent social distancing requirements based on the level of risk in each area.

A Covid-19 checkpoint on Dang Thanh Mai Street.
After three weeks of requiring people to shelter in place, the central city designated areas into red, yellow and green, meaning ‘very high risk,’ ‘high and medium risk’ and ‘low risk’ areas earlier this month and the stringency of social distancing has been based on this classification.

Neighborhoods in many alleys are flooded by the downfall. Many people in the Khe Can neighborhood of Thanh Khe Tay Ward in Thanh Khe District must take their children to higher places to avoid floods from Saturday afternoon.  In the photo, Vo Thi Thu Huong and her husband said they have taken their children from a low-risk area to another Covid-19 low-risk area in Hoa Chau Commune, Hoa Vang District.  They have online lessons, but I have to bring them to another place due to this downfall and flood, then we will see, Huong said.

Neighborhoods in many alleys were flooded by the downpour. Many people in the Khe Can neighborhood of Thanh Khe Tay Ward in Thanh Khe District took their children to safer, higher places Sunday afternoon. In the photo, Vo Thi Thu Huong and her husband are taking their two children from a low-risk area to another Covid-19 low-risk area in Hoa Chau Commune, Hoa Vang District.
"They have online lessons, but I have to take them to another place due to this downpour and flooding, then we will see," Huong said.

A drainage system has been under construction in the Khe Can neighborhood for years, preventing people from renovating their houses.  Water from other parts of the city flows to this area whenever it rains, causing floods up to 150 cm.

A drainage system has been under construction in the Khe Can neighborhood for years, preventing people from renovating their houses. Water from other parts of the city flows to this area whenever it rains, causing water levels as high as 150 cm.

Duong Thi Xanh, 55, has taken her kitchenware to the upper floor to avoid the flood. While she is watching out, her son is cooking, and the water keeps entering their houses whenever it rains. If the city works slowly in the drainage system, please allow residents to renovate their house, so we do not have to face floods like this, Xanh lamented.

Duong Thi Xanh, 55, has taken her kitchenware to the upper floor. While she keeps watch on the water flowing on the street, her son cooks on the mezzanine.
"If the city works so slowly in the drainage system, they should allow residents to renovate their houses, so we do not have to face such flooding," Xanh said.

A boy watches the flood outside his house. Due to the current social distancing campaign, many people cannot move to shelter from the tropical depression. On Saturday afternoon, the local authorities have taken some households to a nearby school to shelter.

A small boy tries to watch the water flowing outside his window. Under the current social distancing campaign, many people couldn’t move to safer places. On Sunday afternoon, local authorities took some households to a nearby school.

Many people have to cook and eat in the smelly and filthy water.

Several people were forced to live in houses flooded with filthy water.

A fire hits a restaurant on Ngo Gia Tu Street at 2 p.m. Dozens of firefighters arrive and contain the fire in five minutes.  Many gas cylinders are found at the scene, even the restaurant has stopped working and had no one for nearly two months due to Covid-19 restrictions. The culprit of the fire is said to be the prolonged downpour, making the electricity system wet and causing the fire.

A fire broke out at a restaurant on Ngo Gia Tu Street at around 2 p.m. Dozens of firefighters arrived quickly and contained the fire in five minutes. Many gas cylinders were found at the site. The restaurant has stopped working and had no one in it for nearly two months because of Covid-19 restrictions. The prolonged downpour is said to have triggered the fire with the electricity system getting wet and causing a short-circuit.

 
 
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