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Ho Chi Minh City: A growing city looking to turn a rising tide

Ho Chi Minh City, Jun 12 (EFE).- Nguyen Van Thai, 71, is used to watching the waters rise on an almost daily basis during the rainy season, especially between August and October. But in recent years, he has noticed it getting worse, despite the constant efforts to improve Ho Chi Minh City’s drainage systems.(Imagen: ERIC SAN JUAN HERNÁNDEZ/GIANG PHAM). SOUNDBITES: NGUYEN VAN THAI, BARBERO (IN VIETNAMESE). TRANSLATIONS:"The street used to be about 2 meters lower than it is now. Now they've raised the road, but every time it rains and the stream rises, the water still cannot subside quickly.""The tidal cycle is now more infrequent than it used to be. High tides used to come generally for 3 consecutive days on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 30th, 1st and 2nd day of a lunar month. Now they come at any time in any way . It's unpredictable and it depends on the tide, maybe sooner or later. But, on average, high tides come twice a month and stay for 3-4 days. ""I increased the height of the wall because daily currents flood the street many times. A higher wall will prevent water from overflowing in my barber shop.""At first, the wall was only 2 bricks high. But then the water level increased and every time a vehicle passed, water splashed onto the shop. So I had to add another layer - twice and a half bricks higher - to avoid water. ""In the past, the flood used to not be that high. But gradually, people build houses and block the canals which make it hard for water to go out. So, the water fills the lower streets. The lower the street is, the more flooded it becomes. ""The water level has been higher in recent years."