Sinkhole threatens commuters in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Duc City following heavy rain
Tuesday, August 15, 2023, 11:35 GMT+7
A sinkhole opened up on Vo Van Ngan Street in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City following a downpour on Monday afternoon, putting commuters into danger.
The sinkhole measures 60-70 centimeters in diameter and one meter in depth, according to a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporter’s observation.
Luckily, a drainage service worker discovered the hole and cordoned it off to prevent traffic accidents.
Vu Trong Sang, a 34-year-old drainage service worker, said that he was clearing a drain hole to facilitate rainwater flows when he found such a dangerous sinkhole.
As such, he erected some tree branches around the hole to alert commuters.
Police are investigating the cause behind the sinkhole.
 |
| Rainwater flows into a sinkhole on Vo Van Ngan Street in Thu Duc City. Photo: Tien Quoc / Tuoi Tre |
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment has teamed up with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance the fight against subsidence in the city.
According to a survey recently conducted by the JICA, the city sees its land subsiding at an average rate of some two centimeters per year.
Several parts are sinking up to six centimeters per year.
During the 2005-17 period, some places in the city faced land subsidence of 23 centimeters.
Among the districts suffering heavy subsidence are Go Vap, Tan Binh, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Binh Tan, and Thu Duc City.
 |
| A pavement subsides on Vo Van Ngan Street in Thu Duc City. Photo: Tien Quoc / Tuoi Tre |
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
