Public Participatory Role in Urban Flood Risk Management of Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam: From Awareness to Action

Abstract

Urban flooding has become a regular phenomenon in many towns and cities in the world over the past years. Flooding in urban areas in Ho Chi Minh City poses serious challenges not only by affecting large numbers of people and properties in urban areas but also directly hindering the economic growth of the city. Despite the huge technical effort to improve the city's drainage system, which is necessitated by phenomenal growth of the city and the challenges of climate change and land subsidence, it is impossible to put and end to flooding. The human factor appears an important element in the flooding problem and the efforts of flood reduction. In this study the emphasis was laid on the issue of inappropriate garbage disposal which leads to obstruction of drainage systems. As a part of a well-planned strategy an interactive survey was conducted in about 820 households in flooding areas. The survey focused on awareness and behavior of public garbage disposal of households living in flooded areas. People have an understanding of the causes of flooding, and have a sense of environmental protection, they can contribute to reducing flooding. In addition to technological solutions, community awareness, solutions for management and sanctioning are necessary.