Ho Long Phi, director of the HCMC Center for Water Management and Climate Change (WACC), said at a meeting convened by the city government on Tuesday that low-lying districts 1, 4, 5 and 6 will suffer the most serious damages in case of severe floods, high tides and heavy rains.

Phi repeated his warning made in a seminar last week that if flood control projects are developed like the way it has been, HCMC will soon be flooded as Bangkok was last year no matter whether such projects are completed or not.

Phi is most concerned about the effectiveness of anti-flood projects that HCMC is working on. “Under the impact of climate change and land subsidence, the flooding in the future can be as bad as it was in 2007 despite even when the tide control system or even the Vung Tau-Go Cong sea dike system is developed.”

The city has carried out four projects with official development assistance (ODA) loans amounting to a combined US$1 billion. Besides, there is a huge project worth VND12 trillion done by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and many smaller projects of districts.

Speaking at the meeting, Phi also referred to heavy damages caused by the historic flood which lasted nearly one month in Bangkok. Thailand is in need of some US$72 billion to reconstruct the nation and repair flood damages.

“If such a devastating disaster happens to HCMC, damages will be less severe, especially in District 8 as HCMC has yet to be as developed as Bangkok. However, downtown districts such as district 1, 4, 5 and 6 will still suffer although there is a little likelihood of deep submergence,” Phi said.

Chairman Quan at the meeting with experts on Tuesday said that the city would invest in projects to drain water from the Saigon River during high tides, and would develop the agricultural production system for low-lying areas to cope with flooding.