Hanoi basements turned into ponds after rain.

Following torrential rains recently, the basements of many high-end houses and shophouses in the west of Hanoi have been turned into ponds where people can catch fish.

Most of the houses in Nam An Khanh Urban Area in Hoai Duc District have been left idle for many years.

 

The basements in Nam An Khanh Urban Area is submerged (Photo by Minh Nhan)

Pham Thi Ha, 32, said that some days ago, her family visited a bookstore in the Nam An Khanh Urban Area. When travelling through the houses, she saw fish in the basements. Her younger brother then used a fishing rod kept in his car trunk to catch fish.

After two hours, they caught around 20 tilapia of different sizes.

People fishing in the basement. Photo by Tienphong

Due to the impact of the Storm Prapiroon, Hanoi faced torrential rain in the past week, submerging many areas, particularly in Chuong My, Hoai Duc and Quoc Oai districts. Many basements of abandoned townhouses in Nam An Khanh have remained flooded due to the lack of drainage.

Le Duy Tan, a 62-year-old security officer at a restaurant in Nam An Khanh, said that when it is heavily rainy for around two hours, the area is often inundated. The basements of abandoned houses then become ponds for fish and mosquitoes to live in, causing environmental pollution.

Tan added that following torrential rain, people flock to the basements to catch fish. Some people even used nets for fishing.

Photo by Tienphong

According to urban planning experts, the flooding in urban areas west of Hanoi is mainly caused by inadequate infrastructure maintenance. Investors rushed to construct apartment buildings without paying due attention to the water supply and drainage systems.