Ho Chi Minh City to test centrifugal pumping system to curb flooding

The system, proposed by Quang Trung Industry Group, is set to be piloted on Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Binh Thanh District, according to Nguyen Ngoc Cong, director of the city’s Steering Center of the Urban Flood Control Program.

Cong told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday that the street is one of the roads most vulnerable to flooding in the city and, for that reason, was chosen to test the centrifugal pumping system’s effectiveness.

“We are examining the street’s drainage facilities for the installation,” Cong added.

The city’s Department of Transport also agreed to the proposal.

The project suggested by Quang Trung Industry Group, located in the northern province of Ninh Binh, will use a new drainage system aimed at alleviating flooding in frequently-inundated areas by positioning centrifugal pumping machines at sluices connecting to the city’s waterways.

The system, run by electricity or diesel, is expected to drain 96,000 cubic meters of water per hour at full capacity, Nguyen Tang Cuong, director of Quang Trung Industry Group, said.

The system also features an automatic filtering mechanism capable of separating water from waste. The separated waste will be transferred to the city’s garbage dump by garbage truck.

Cuong also said that there is no need to construct a new sewer system for the pumping machines, meaning the project will have little impact on the city’s existing infrastructure.

Quang Trung Industry Group is committed to paying all relevant fees if the project fails to control the flooding.

The company also said that at around VND5 million (US$224) for fuel to operate the pumping machines during rainfall, the system only costs about 10 percent of what current anti-flood projects and trash pickup solutions do.