The blueprint of residential area planning on Red River's banks (Photo ktdt.vn) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Hanoi has createdurban development plans for the banks of the Hong (Red) River, yet problems remain due tolack of flood and dyke planning.
Planners have been seeking solutions to balance sustainabledevelopment with land and water resources.
In 2006, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developmentsubmitted a plan to the Government on flood prevention and control and dykesystem reinforcement on the Red and Thai Binh rivers, reported Kinh Te Do Thi (Economy and City) newspaper.
Under the plan, it was necessary to move 855,993 people wholived on an area of 12,504ha on riverbanks to ensure safe flood discharging.
The areas for housing were below 15 percent of the riverbanks in Tam Xa- Xuan Canh and Long Bien-Cu Khoi areas in Hanoi.
The plan, which was approved but has not yet been carriedout, was estimated to cost 113 trillion VND (4.9 billion USD). Along with funding from the Statebudget, revenue was to be drawn from the auction of land use rights in theriver bank or investment in the public-private partnership (PPP) form.
This meant money collected from using the land would be usedfor flood drainage, so the area for flood drainage would be reduced to be usedas housing, making flood drainage less safe.
The flood drainage corridor which was built by Frenchirrigation engineers in 1905 has been degrading yearly.
For example, before merging with Hanoi, Ha Tay province allocated tens of thousands ofhectares of land in the flood drainage corridor to real estate developers.
At present, many rivers in Hanoi and other provinces in theRed River Delta have been seriously polluted, which has caused a shortage ofwater for farming.
These issues have left Hanoians awaiting proper planningalong the Red River to effectively use land and water for sustainableagriculture.
The section of the Red River flowing through Hanoi is morethan 120km.
The riverbank is a large area so Hanoi could choose 1 or 2kmalongside the river to carry out a trial planning project.
Recently, a group of Vietnamese and international urbanplanners proposed a plan for zoning a safe area which could ensure sustainabledevelopment for urban areas, farming and the environment.
The safe area would be protected by a concrete dyke system.
Residents currently living nearby the mudflats would bereallocated to at least 20m above sea level, freeing up the entire ground spaceand creating an extra 50-80ha for drainage in the flood season.
The river mudflats, which feature beautiful trees, wouldbecome a new park among hundreds of hectares of water surface of the river.
In the dry season, this place would be a safe and green parkwhile in the flood season, it would be a training field for militia and youthvolunteers to practice swimming and rescuing activities.
The plan is expected to create public assets worth billionsof dollars, increase dynamism for the local economy and generate millions ofnew jobs for Hanoi and neighbouring provinces.
The same plan was carried out in some riverside cities ofChina like Wuhan, said the newspaper.
Additionally, the solution meets the essential requirementsof flood prevention and dyke protection, adapting to extreme climate change atthe highest level.
At present, wastewater does not flow into the city’s sewersbut directly into the Red River, meaning Hanoi needs to plan for wastewatercollection to eliminate pollution source in the river./.
Planners have been seeking solutions to balance sustainabledevelopment with land and water resources.
In 2006, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developmentsubmitted a plan to the Government on flood prevention and control and dykesystem reinforcement on the Red and Thai Binh rivers, reported Kinh Te Do Thi (Economy and City) newspaper.
Under the plan, it was necessary to move 855,993 people wholived on an area of 12,504ha on riverbanks to ensure safe flood discharging.
The areas for housing were below 15 percent of the riverbanks in Tam Xa- Xuan Canh and Long Bien-Cu Khoi areas in Hanoi.
The plan, which was approved but has not yet been carriedout, was estimated to cost 113 trillion VND (4.9 billion USD). Along with funding from the Statebudget, revenue was to be drawn from the auction of land use rights in theriver bank or investment in the public-private partnership (PPP) form.
This meant money collected from using the land would be usedfor flood drainage, so the area for flood drainage would be reduced to be usedas housing, making flood drainage less safe.
The flood drainage corridor which was built by Frenchirrigation engineers in 1905 has been degrading yearly.
For example, before merging with Hanoi, Ha Tay province allocated tens of thousands ofhectares of land in the flood drainage corridor to real estate developers.
At present, many rivers in Hanoi and other provinces in theRed River Delta have been seriously polluted, which has caused a shortage ofwater for farming.
These issues have left Hanoians awaiting proper planningalong the Red River to effectively use land and water for sustainableagriculture.
The section of the Red River flowing through Hanoi is morethan 120km.
The riverbank is a large area so Hanoi could choose 1 or 2kmalongside the river to carry out a trial planning project.
Recently, a group of Vietnamese and international urbanplanners proposed a plan for zoning a safe area which could ensure sustainabledevelopment for urban areas, farming and the environment.
The safe area would be protected by a concrete dyke system.
Residents currently living nearby the mudflats would bereallocated to at least 20m above sea level, freeing up the entire ground spaceand creating an extra 50-80ha for drainage in the flood season.
The river mudflats, which feature beautiful trees, wouldbecome a new park among hundreds of hectares of water surface of the river.
In the dry season, this place would be a safe and green parkwhile in the flood season, it would be a training field for militia and youthvolunteers to practice swimming and rescuing activities.
The plan is expected to create public assets worth billionsof dollars, increase dynamism for the local economy and generate millions ofnew jobs for Hanoi and neighbouring provinces.
The same plan was carried out in some riverside cities ofChina like Wuhan, said the newspaper.
Additionally, the solution meets the essential requirementsof flood prevention and dyke protection, adapting to extreme climate change atthe highest level.
At present, wastewater does not flow into the city’s sewersbut directly into the Red River, meaning Hanoi needs to plan for wastewatercollection to eliminate pollution source in the river./.
VNA
