Beneath our feet lies a story of sinking homes and resilient spirits in An Lac Ward. An Lac Ward is located in Binh Tan District. It is west of Ho Chi Minh City. This area covering 4.59 square kilometers has a unique challenge.
Over the past decade An Lac Ward has sunk. It dropped 81.4 centimeters. This makes it the hardest-hit area in southern Vietnam. The Department of Water Resources Management revealed this after surveying 339 locations. These locations were in the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.
Truong Thi Binh once lived here. She says her house is now like a pond. Water rises almost two meters. Only the core framework and cracked walls remain. The roof is just above the street.
Residents say visitors would not believe this is part of Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s biggest city and economic hub.
Many neighbors raised their house floors. But this did not help much. Binh’s current house is also tilting. Cracks run along the wall. Water pours in every time it rains.
Binh’s family lived in constant fear. The area used to be paddy fields. They spent much money on the foundation. But that has not helped.
Her brother moved to District 7. His house tilted leaving cracks. The front door platform rose 50 centimeters. The house has been abandoned now. It is covered with grass.
Two kilometers away residents of Nam Hung Vuong face a similar situation. Nguyen Van Long stomps on his yard. A hollow sound echoes. He removes bricks. A 40-centimeter deep pit is revealed.
The subsidence is happening fast. The yard is hollow. The house facade might fall anytime.
Two years ago his floor sunk and tiles broke. He made a thick concrete slab. Still he feels the sinking. His gate base is below the sidewalk.
Most families in Nam Hung Vuong raised their foundations. They raised them half to one meter above street level.
The office of An Lac People’s Committee also has cracks. They are on its walls and columns. The staircases sunk three years ago. Chunks of concrete were exposed.
Dinh Hoang Giang is the ward’s chairman. He says subsidence has been happening for decades. There is no official explanation.
He believes excessive groundwater pumping is the cause. Nguyen Gia Thai Binh is deputy chairman of Binh Tan District. He supports Giang’s analysis.
Locals have tap water. Many still prefer groundwater. The district will list households using groundwater without permission. They will impose strict sanctions.
The environment ministry says the subsidence is from natural and human activities. These include groundwater extraction and urban construction. Also infrastructure construction and increasing traffic contribute.
About 9650 bore wells are functional. They have a capacity of 1.97 million cubic meters per day. 1900 are in HCMC. They have a capacity of 520000 cubic meters per day.
There are over a million smaller wells. These are for residential use. They have a capacity of 840000 cubic meters per day.
HCMC wants to stop groundwater exploitation by 2025. They want to stop granting permits. They don’t want to just restrict the practice.
Given the situation some believe the Climate Central assessment. They say southern Vietnam could be flooded by 2050. This does not sound far-fetched here in An Lac Ward. The ground beneath us tells a story of challenges. It also tells a story of the community’s fight against these challenges.