HCMC – The surface of HCMC is highly sinkable, according to ground subsidence research by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The city has an average ground subsidence rate of two centimeters a year while areas with multiple high-rise buildings sank faster, at 6-8 centimeters annually.
Land sinking is blamed for frequent flash floods in the southern metropolis.
A survey carried out by JACA and the Division for Water Resources Planning and Investigation for the South of Vietnam shows that from 2005 to 2017, the city sank 23 centimeters on average.
The survey also recorded that a ward in Binh Tan District sank 81 centimeters, the highest citywide.
It pointed out districts subject to subsidence include districts 2, 7, 8, 12, Go Vap, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Binh Tan and Thu Duc. Of these, Binh Tan District and District 12 were hit hardest.
The city has been brought down 100 centimeters since 1990. The land subsidence pace has doubled rising sea levels.
Land subsidence was attributed to the geological structure, fast urbanization and groundwater extraction and overcrowded traffic.
The city government has asked the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Construction and the Department of Planning and Architecture to join hands with JICA to develop a project in the fourth quarter of this year.
The project is aimed at researching the current status and causes of subsidence and drawing up subsidence response plans.
