What can Ho Chi Minh City proactively do to prevent subsidence?

With 4 causes of subsidence in Ho Chi Minh City, reducing groundwater exploitation is a solution that the city can proactively implement to reduce this situation.

Severe subsidence on Le Co Street, old Binh Tan District. This house has large cracks in the wall, the steps are tilted to one side - Photo: LE PHAN

According to Associate Professor Dr. Le Trung Chon, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development Studies, Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment, the causes often focus on four main factors: weak geological foundation (Southern Ho Chi Minh City area), declining groundwater level, transportation activities (dynamic load) and civil works, urbanization speed (static load - Tan Cang and Ba Son areas are typical).

Due to weak geological foundation, traffic and civil works activities, and urbanization speed, adjustments are needed in the long term. The decline in groundwater is a factor that Ho Chi Minh City can proactively prevent subsidence.

The excessive exploitation and use of groundwater in Ho Chi Minh City for a long time in the past has had a significant impact on the environment. Therefore, protecting groundwater resources has become an urgent task.

It can be imagined that underground there are underground water pockets between geological layers. When exploited for a long time, the amount of water is sucked up and cannot be restored in time. At this time, there are voids in the ground and they subside. This leads to subsidence in many areas where groundwater is overexploited.

To protect groundwater resources, since 2018, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has issued Decision No. 1242 on a plan to reduce groundwater exploitation and fill groundwater wells by 2025.

Saigon Water Corporation SAWACO said that there are currently two groups of users of groundwater, including: businesses and people. For SAWACO in particular, the work of filling in unused wells is being carried out continuously in accordance with the roadmap to reduce groundwater exploitation of the City People's Committee.

Statistics from this unit show that there is a very worrying situation, that is, many households have installed water meters but do not use them. According to the data, currently in some suburban areas, the rate of using well water is still high.

As in Di An (formerly Binh Duong province), the bill for ^0m3 is 11.13%, the old Hoc Mon district bill for ^0m3 is 10.15%; the old Binh Chanh district bill for ^0m3 is 9.29%.

Regarding the issue of reducing groundwater exploitation, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has approved a list and map of prohibited and restricted areas for groundwater exploitation. By the end of 2024, Ho Chi Minh City has reduced the amount of groundwater exploitation from 716,581 m ³ / day to 252,528 m ³ / day, reaching 75.3% of the target of reducing to 100,000 m ³ / day by 2025.

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LE PHAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tp-hcm-co-the-chu-dong-lam-gi-de-ngan-sut-lun-2025091709424788.htm