Flood prevention in the area around Da Nang airport

With hundreds of hectares of concrete, rainwater from the airport flows into the surrounding sewers and canals, which have been overloaded for many years, creating serious flooding. The extreme rain in October 2022 clearly demonstrated this: many central areas were quickly submerged, paralyzing traffic, affecting both life and the economy .

The survey shows that the main sewers around the airport can only meet a small part of the demand. Le Do sewer only reaches about 22% of the required flow, Xuan Hoa is even lower, only 12%. An Khe sewer is larger, but also only reaches 29%. Only the sewer in Tran Xuan Le is "easier to breathe" with 69%.

In other words, the drainage system is operating in a state of permanent overload. The cause lies not only in the small cross-section of the sewer, but also in the fact that the drainage basin is compressed, lacking intermediate storage and regulation points.

The proposed drainage solution below is not simply a sewer expansion, but a comprehensive strategy according to 4 sub-basins: North, West, East, South.

Specifically, in the North: Renovate three lakes in the airport (12.5 hectares), build embankments and sluice gates to regulate water to Le Duy Dinh sluice and Xuan Hoa A lake.

West: Build an additional regulating lake of nearly 4 hectares, combined with a 1.7km long open canal leading water to Xuan Hoa A lake, and at the same time divide the flow by a sluice gate.

East: Dig an open canal of nearly 1km to cut off the basin, reduce the load on K5 lake and bring water to the large sewer line Nguyen Du - To Huu.

South: Renovate, dredge and expand 4 lakes with a total area of more than 11 hectares, to reduce the load on Phong Bac canal and Nguyen Trac sluice.

The highlight here is the “green-grey combination” approach: the reservoir acts as a temporary storage, the open channel both drains and creates landscape, and the sluice gate helps operate flexibly according to the situation.

If implemented, this system will significantly reduce flooding not only for the airport, but also for central wards such as Thanh Khe and Hai Chau. People will benefit from a safer living environment, and the city will save on flood damage costs.

More importantly, this is a step that demonstrates modern urban management: instead of following the solution of "digging deep and making large sewers", Da Nang has switched to smart regulation thinking, controlling the flow right at the source.

Moreover, the project also opens up opportunities to connect with digital transformation: integrating rain sensors, water levels, and cameras into the operating system, forming an “Urban Data Hub” for drainage. From there, the city can forecast and operate in real time, significantly reducing passivity in the face of extreme rains.

Of course, it is not easy to implement a project within the airport. Security, technical and site clearance issues will be challenges.

Although the project budget is not too large, it needs to be divided into reasonable phases, prioritizing the North and West regions - areas that often cause severe flooding.

It is also important that after completion, the lake and canal system must be strictly protected to avoid encroachment, filling, or turning into stagnant ponds causing pollution.

The flood prevention plan for the central area (around Da Nang airport) not only solves technical problems, but also opens up a new approach to urban management: considering drainage infrastructure as part of a sustainable development strategy.

If successfully implemented, the project will turn "bottlenecks" into "opportunities", transforming the airport from a place of pressure into a nucleus connecting the city's water regulation system.

And above all, contributing to strengthening the image of Da Nang - an environmental city, worth living and a pioneer in the smart urban era.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/chong-ngap-khu-vuc-quanh-san-bay-da-nang-3300107.html