Flood in Hanoi - street becomes river!

After two days of heavy rain, Hanoi was dumped in water. Heavy rains battered the capital city with falls of up to 450mm in major streets and roads.

“These are the heaviest falls in Hanoi for 35 years,” said Bui Minh Tang, director of the National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre. He forecast that rains are likely to continue to fall over the next two days.

Total material losses were estimated at VND3,000 billion, according to initial reports from the Municipal People’s Committee. The rains submerged 45,000ha of subsidiary crops and 9,000ha of aquatic breeding acreage, causing losses of VND450 billion and VND810 billion, respectively.

All rivers and lakes around Hanoi can no longer be regulated as water levels have kept rising. The Yen So pumping station has been operating at full capacity over the past two days. However, by 23.00 on October 31, water levels in the canal leading to the station reached the platform where pumps are fixed. 

The heavy downpours also flooded several power transformer stations, forcing the national load dispatch centre (Ao) to stop supplying power to consumers in Ha Dong City, about 10km from Hanoi, and the adjacent areas. The Hanoi power company also announced temporary power cuts in several major streets and new urban areas as low-voltage stations there were submerged with water.