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The "shocking" flood in Da Lat on the afternoon of September 1 made many experts and Da Lat lovers concerned. Garbage, greenhouses and concrete took up all drainage space, causing Da Lat to flood during heavy rain, with an increasing frequency.
In recent years, whenever it rains heavily, Da Lat is flooded with fast water level rise, causing people's lives to be severely affected. Previously, the city was only flooded in some low-lying areas, or near streams, however, now it floods the streets of the inner city.
Da Lat has a steep terrain with many hills and mountains. However, in recent years, urban development has been fast, but unsustainable. The Da Lat government has made investments and plans on flood prevention. Nevertheless, in order to prevent flooding, planners must calculate and predict rainfall scenarios, especially in low-lying areas or areas with a lot of concretisation, as well as "reserving space for drainage", to avoid case of heavy rainfall pouring down an area and not draining water in time.
According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lam Dong province, the total area of flower and vegetable production in Da Lat is about 18,000 hectares, but there are about 10,000 hectares of greenhouses. Greenhouse net house area is mainly located in large agricultural areas along Cam Ly stream such as Thai Phien, Chi Lang, Me Linh.
Another reason why Da Lat is flooded is garbage. People carelessly littered Cam Ly waterfall, making a stream more than 70km long, flowing through polluted Da Lat, then pouring into the Dong Nai river system. To handle garbage in a fundamental way, it is necessary for the government to develop garbage treatment plants, not landfill as many cities and localities are doing.