The Southern Airports Corporation has been asked to build a water pumping system to help Tan Son Nhat International Airport fight against its flooding problems.
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| Tan Son Nhat Airport. |
The Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee has also ordered the People’s Committee of Tan Binh District to tackle cases of people misusing Nhat Ban and A14 ditches, the two important drainage ditches of the airport, by the end of August. This is necessary to ensure that the two ditches are working properly and helping prevent flooding from taking place in Tan Binh District, the area of Tan Son Nhat Airport in particular, in preparation for the coming flood season.
The city’s Steering Centre of Urban Flood Control Programme has been assigned to coordinate with agencies and units concerned to urgently dredge and clear the canal flows of the ditches mentioned above, keeping the drainage system in check.
As the international gateway to Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Son Nhat Airport serves an average of about 30,000 passengers daily with a huge number of international tourists among those. The sight of the airport ground flooded with water, making the airport looking sleazy, would not be ideal.
In 2009, the city’s People’s Committee had assigned Tan Son Nhat Airport’s flood control duties to the 3 units mentioned above. However, it is well into 2010 and the airport still suffers from the same flooding problems whenever there is heavy rain.
On July 1, as a result of heavy rains, the water had leaked through the airport roof inside the domestic terminal of Tan Son Nhat Airport, causing the airport to shut down its power to prevent causing accidents. The incident delayed all procedures for about an hour, forcing dozens of flights to take off late.