Heavy rains and high tides caused severe floods on many major roads in HCM City, resulting in traffic jams during rush hour on Thursday.— VNS Photo HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — Heavy rains and high tides caused severe floods on many major roads in HCM City, resulting in traffic jams during rush hour on Thursday.Streets along Tan Hoa- Lo Gom Canal are affected the most by tides, including Hoa Binh Street where the water level reached one metre.Lac Long Quan and Tan Hoa streets in District 11, and Chu Van An, Dinh Bo Linh and Bui Dinh Tuy streets in Binh Thanh District were flooded. Huynh Tan Phat Street in District 7 was also affected. Thousands of people commuting to their jobs in inner HCM City from Thu Duc District are stuck on flooded Kha Van Can Street. — VNS Photo At the Cay Go Roundabout in District 6, vehicles were unable to move for hours due to severe traffic congestion.Thousands of people … [Read more...] about Heavy rains, high tides lead to flooding in HCM City
Heavy rains
7 dead as heavy rains pummel flooded Philippines
MANILA – Flood-battered residents of the Philippine capital and surrounding areas appealed for help on Tuesday as relentless monsoon rains, which have claimed at least seven lives, submerged more than half of Manila. Water engulfed entire homes and vehicles in large parts of the megacity of 12 million people, trapping many people and forcing tens of thousands into evacuation centres. "We have had nothing to eat, nothing to wear. A few people went to houses on higher ground, but most of us had nowhere to go," Dinah Claire Velasco, 44, a resident of a blue-collar coastal district on the outskirts of Manila said. "My children and other people were able to seek refuge on the second floor of my house but a lot of others had to just sit on their roofs... We're waiting for rescue, for help, even just food." But groups involved in the rescue effort said they were being overwhelmed. "We are getting a lot of calls for rescue... we would really be hard pressed to rescue all of them," a … [Read more...] about 7 dead as heavy rains pummel flooded Philippines
Heavy rains batter rice crops to add to central region woes
Illustrative image HA NOI (VNS)— After prolonged drought, a week of continuous heavy rain coupled with strong winds damaged a large area of winter-spring rice in central provinces. "If the rain came nearly a month ago, we would be happy as at that time the rice needed water for growth," said Nguyen Thi Hanh, a farmer in Quang Nam Province, where about 10,000 ha of rice were flooded and 1,000 ha were destroyed. Total losses amounted to about VND3 billion (US$143,000), said Ho Vang, deputy director of the Thua Thien-Hue Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The districts suffering the greatest losses were Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Do Luong and Huong Tra, where about 30-50 per cent of rice areas risked being completely lost. Since most of the rice was already ripe, recovery would be difficult. "Harvesting will also be difficult and costly, as farmers cannot use machines to reap fallen rice. They must hire people to reap it by hand, which costs … [Read more...] about Heavy rains batter rice crops to add to central region woes
Heavy rains kill two in Yen Bai Province
YEN BAI — Heavy rains in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai over the past few days have killed two local people. One was buried in a landslide in Mu Cang Chai District early yesterday morning while the other was struck by lightening in Van Chan District on Sunday. Local authorities have evacuated two households in Tram Tau District's Ban Mu Commune in case of landslides. The province has also asked for flood prevention and search and rescue activities to be enhanced. — VNS … [Read more...] about Heavy rains kill two in Yen Bai Province
Cold spell, heavy rain likely to last five days
HCM City's Thu Dau Mot Market was submerged as record high tides from the Sai Gon River hit the city and other neighbouring provinces yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Chi Tuong HA NOI (VNS)–A cold spell, hitting Viet Nam's northern region yesterday is forecast to last five days and cause heavy rain and flooding in many areas, according to the Central Hydrometeorological Forecasting Centre. Residents should watch out for strong winds, flash floods and landslides, said the centre. In northern Lao Cai Province, which borders China, the temperature was below 25 degrees Celsius. Forecasts suggested that the temperature would continue to fall while the rain would continue for another day. Sa Pa would see temperatures below 15 C degree. Director of Lao Cai Hydrometeorological Centre Luu Minh Hai said the whole system of rivers and streams in the province has seen flooding with water heights rising from 50 to 100cm. The flooding would continue for the next few days. … [Read more...] about Cold spell, heavy rain likely to last five days
Heavy rains cause flooding in Ha Noi
HA NOI – Large scale rains lasting several hours were the heaviest the city has seen since the start of the summer, causing flooding in Ha Noi City yesterday. Streets such as Linh Nam, Ngoc Hoi, Nguyen Tuan Streets were flooded causing traffic jams. Linh Nam Street was submerged 50-60 centimetres underwater, making cars and motorbikes come to a dead stop. Nguyen Tuan, Thanh Tri, Phung Khoang, Nguyen Huu Tho, Belt Road No.3 in Hoang Mai District were also submerged under water. Risks were increased as spillway dams had no warning signs. Do Van Viet, a worker on Linh Nam Street said that the sewage system in the locality was no adequate, so even in light rain, the streets became submerged. Workers of Ha Noi Water Supply Sewerage Company mobilised mud cleaning vehicles to dredge ditches; however it had little effect. On May 21, a three-hour rain transformed streets into rivers, causing flood and traffic jams. According to National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, … [Read more...] about Heavy rains cause flooding in Ha Noi
Heavy rains wreak havoc on garlic kingdom
QUANG NGAI — Farmers on central Quang Ngai Province's Ly Son Island, known as the garlic kingdom, have suffered the worst crop ever due to torrential rains, the Ly Son Island District People's Committee said. This year, farmers grew garlic over 290ha of land, but heavy rains during the past three months have ruined 80 per cent of the crops. Productivity is currently about 3,000-3,500 kilos per ha, reduced by half compared to last year, it said. Ly Son garlic, a well-known local specialty, has been sold nation-wide for its special taste. Garlic crops are grown only one time per year, usually at the end of August. "All the garlic was rotten. I've got nothing left this year," Vo Thi Mia, a farmer in An Hai Commune said. Mia grows six sao (2,160 sq.m) of garlic. Last year, it brought her VND50 million ($2,400) in profit. "It kept raining. We had to use nilon canvas to avoid too much water to reaching each bulb, but it was useless," she said. Another farmer Vo Thanh Long was … [Read more...] about Heavy rains wreak havoc on garlic kingdom
Heavy rain hits Mekong Delta rice harvest
CUU LONG DELTA (VNS)— Prolonged rains over the past week in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have severely affected the harvest and quality of the summer-autumn rice crop. The delta is entering peak harvest time for the crop, but harvesting has been slow, as ripe rice plants have been toppled by heavy rains and wind. Pham Thi Ngot, who cultivates 0.6ha rice in Tam Binh District in Vinh Long Province, said more than 70 per cent of her plants had collapsed and must be harvested by hand. Ngot said she was also short of workers as demand for farm help was high this season. Heavy winds and rain have toppled about half of 27,000ha of ripe rice in Vinh Long Province, according to the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Le Quang Thao, deputy chairman of the Xuan Hiep Commune People's Committee in Vinh Long's Tra On District, said: "The quality of harvested rice has declined, as many of the seeds have germinated."Delta farmers have also had trouble sundrying their rice … [Read more...] about Heavy rain hits Mekong Delta rice harvest
Heavy rain causes deadly landslides
In Lao Cai Province, the rain affected most areas yesterday with up to 107mm falling in Bao Yen District. Local authorities have warned that heavy rains could still continue in Lao Cai Province over the next few days. Damage has not been estimated but most of the rice crops were inundated and landslides also caused obstructions on national and provincial highways. Local authorities helped people move to safe areas and warned residents not to pick up wood and trash in floodwaters due to rising water levels of the Chay River and Coc Ly Hydropower Plant reservoir. In Ha Giang, landslides, flash floods and heavy rains caused crop and property damage of up to VND16 billion (US$762,000). Heavy rain caused one house in Dong Van District to collapse and dozens of householders were relocated under a state of emergency. Thousands of crops were inundated in Xin Man District, along with the destruction of 30km of irrigation works in the district. Landslides also caused obstructions in many part of … [Read more...] about Heavy rain causes deadly landslides
Heavy rains create havoc as northern regions flood
Local people survey the damage after heavy rainfall caused floods and landslides in Viet Lam Commune, Vi Xuyen District, Ha Giang Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Thu Phuong HA NOI — Heavy downpours destroyed crops and disrupted the lives of local people in the country's northern mountainous provinces.A two-day downpour that ended on Monday flooded 260 houses in Ha Giang Province's Viet Lam Commune, Vi Xuyen District.Hundreds of hectares of farm crops were destroyed, while traffic was brought to a standstill on the route connecting Viet Lam, Thuong Son and Quang Ngan communes.Yesterday morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc toured the affected area and visited a family hit by landslide in Tan Thanh Commune, Bac Quang District. The landslide injured four local residents and swept away one house. Another landslide was reported on National Highway 2 in the same commune, blocking traffic on the key traffic route. Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dam … [Read more...] about Heavy rains create havoc as northern regions flood