High tides have left many streets and houses in My Tho City, which is the capital of Tien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, flooded over the past couple of days, the provincial steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control said on Thursday.

Flooding affected several locations in the city such as the Trung Luong Intersection, where National Highway 1A intersects with National Highway 60, the Cau Cong Market area, and the intersection linking Hung Vuong Street with Le Van Nghe Street.

In the city’s Ward 10, heavy flooding across many alleys caused significant inconvenience for commuters and the daily activities of local inhabitants.

People living in these flood hotspots were forced to raise their household appliances off the floor in order to avoid flood damage while household businesses shut the doors to prevent trash and debris from entering their premises.

Nguyen Van Loi, a local resident in Ward 10, expressed his concern over the high tide, saying that its late night arrival badly affected local residents and caused damage to their assets.

Vo Van Thong, director of the Tien Giang hydrometeorology agency, said that the water levels recorded at monitoring stations citywide ranged between 1.55 meters and 1.8 meters.

Authorities had earlier issued high-tide warnings in the city so that residents could promptly take precautionary measures.

My Tho is expected to experience six high tides between March and August this year, with two particularly severe tides expected for mid-March and mid-April.

In related news, this Mekong Delta province had to declare a state of emergency on Saturday last week over a severe shortage of fresh water caused by prolonged drought and saltwater intrusion.

The province's Tan Phu Dong District – with 12 kilometers of coastline along the East Vietnam Sea, crisscrossed by waterways -- has been badly hit.

The Mekong Delta region faces saltwater intrusion every year, but more intense hot weather and rising sea levels -- both driven by climate change -- are increasing the risk, according to AFP.

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