Over 420 homes damaged, reservoirs overwhelmed in Vietnam amid Wipha's aftermath

The Star

6 days ago

HANOI: Typhoon Wipha (designated as Typhoon No.3 in Vietnam) has caused widespread destruction across several northern and north-central provinces, damaging hundreds of homes, submerging over 119,000ha of rice paddies and triggering multiple dyke incidents.
According to an initial report from the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control released on Wednesday (July 23) morning, a total of 420 houses were reported damaged or unroofed.
The worst-hit provinces were Thanh Hoa with 251 homes affected and Nghe An with 161.
In terms of agricultural losses, the storm and subsequent heavy rains inundated 119,408ha of rice fields. Ninh Bình reported the largest area under water at 74,017ha, followed by Hung Yen (26,000ha) and Thanh Hoa (19,391ha).
Other provinces are continuing to assess the extent of the damage. Authorities in affected areas are actively deploying pumps to drain floodwaters and prevent further waterlogging.
The livestock sector also suffered losses, with nearly 3,300 cattle and poultry reported dead or swept away by floodwaters.
Wipha also triggered six dyke incidents across multiple provinces. In Hanoi, a 20-metre crack appeared along the right bank of the Cau River dyke in Da Phuc Commune.
Local authorities quickly restricted access to the site. Another dike crack, first identified in 2024 along the right bank of the Hong River in Phuc Loc Commune, has shown signs of expansion. The area has been fenced off to prevent vehicle access.
In Thanh Hoa, several sites experienced subsidence and landslides, including two sections of the western Cung River dike totaling 65m in length. Additional damage was reported at the Vuc Buu sluice gate on the Nhom River and along a 150m stretch of the Tam Diep canal dyke in Quang Trung Ward.
A landslide was also reported in Ninh Bình, where a 5-m section of the southern Nam Quan Lieu dyke in Nghia Son Commune gave way. Local officials responded immediately with emergency coverings and sandbag reinforcements.
Hydropower infrastructure in the region has come under pressure. The Ban Ve Hydropower Reservoir recorded a peak flood inflow of 12,800cb.m/s at 2am on July 22, surpassing the 10,500cb.m/s threshold.
By 7am on July 23, inflow had decreased to 7,347cb.m/s, while the outflow stood at 4,351cb.m/s. The reservoir water level reached 199.5m, marking a rise of 9.3m in just 20 hours. Discharge operations began at 4pm on July 22.
A separate update on irrigation infrastructure shows that from the northern region down to Ha Tinh Province, there are 4,487 reservoirs – two classified as especially important, along with 446 large, 817 medium and 3,222 small reservoirs.
Current water storage levels range between 56 and 85 per cent of design capacity. Most reservoirs in Nghe An are already full, and 91 are undergoing repair or upgrades.
Weather forecasts for July 23 indicate scattered showers and thunderstorms across the northern region, with localised rainfall of 15 to 30mm, and some areas expecting over 80mm.
A broader heavy rain event is anticipated on July 24–25 across northern provinces, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, with rainfall of 60 to 120mm, and isolated areas potentially exceeding 200mm.
Authorities have issued warnings of intense rainfall exceeding 90mm in three hours, raising concerns of continued flooding and additional structural damage in vulnerable areas. — Vietnam News/ANN