Hue partners with Japan on flood management

The Hue City People's Committee recently held a working session with a delegation from Waseda University and the University of Tsukuba of Japan to discuss research and the implementation of projects on disaster prevention, flood management and climate resilience in the city.

At the meeting, representatives from the two Japanese universities introduced research on a flood management and watershed development control model based on water storage capacity in peri-urban areas. The project is expected to be applied in Hue amid rising sea levels, aiming to promote compact urban development while protecting and enhancing natural water storage capacity.

Specifically, the project will develop a water storage capacity map for the peri-urban area of the Huong River basin and establish curves showing the relationship between storage capacity and water levels. It will also assess effective water storage capacity under backwater conditions. Based on these findings, experts will develop a tool to assess the impacts of urban development projects and accurately determine reductions in water storage capacity in order to calculate the amount of capacity that needs to be offset.

Another key component is the development of design standards, as well as operation and maintenance models, for distributed flood-resilient infrastructure. These standards and models will be developed based on operational data from around 40–60 facilities already in service. The project also aims to implement and test green infrastructure solutions to maintain a balance between development density and water storage capacity in an area of a new urban development.

Mr. Hoang Hai Minh, Standing Vice Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee, said that in its socio-economic development plans, the city has consistently identified disaster prevention and proactive climate change response as top priorities to minimize losses of life and property.

Hue is implementing a range of measures to reduce flooding and strengthen flood management across the city, while minimizing adverse impacts on urban areas and the Complex of Hue Monuments. In this context, city leaders welcomed the research project proposed by the Japanese side, describing it as a practical approach suited to Hue's needs in urban management, planning and sustainable development.

To bring the research findings into practice as soon as possible, Mr. Hoang Hai Minh asked the parties to shorten the preparation and implementation timeline. Drawing on its extensive experience in disaster prevention projects, Hue City pledged to coordinate closely with the project team, facilitate implementation and assign experts and technical officials to work alongside the researchers.

Hue City leaders agreed to instruct relevant agencies and units to coordinate proactively with the delegation, while exploring ways to build on and make effective use of data from projects previously implemented in the city to avoid duplication and optimize investment costs.

In particular, Hue plans to link the research findings directly to the HueIOC smart urban monitoring and operation center, as well as existing smart-city data systems and platforms. This integration will gradually establish a reliable database to support disaster forecasting, management and rapid decision-making, contributing to the development of Hue as a safe and sustainable city.