River water floods houses in Vinh Binh commune of Cho Lach district, Ben Tre province, as a result of dyke erosion in September 2018 (Photo: VNA) Ben Tre (VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre will evacuate about 200 local households living along rivers and canals to safer areas in 2019-2020, and support 100 others to repair and upgrade their houses in the period.
According to a project to relocate the households outlined by local authorities for the period of 2021-2025, the province will move more than 500 households to safe places and support 250 others.
It is part of the efforts to promote sustainable development and adapt to climate change in the Mekong Delta region.
Many resettlement areas will be formed in the districts of Binh Dai, Mo Cay Nam, Mo Cay Bac and Giong Trom to serve the urgent relocation of households living in areas vulnerable to erosion along river banks.
According to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Cao Van Trong, the locality has focused on building concentrated resettlement areas, while calling on households living in dangerous zones along rivers, coastal and canal areas to move to safe areas.
From 2015 to July 2019, local authorities spent 4.4 billion VND (189,662 USD) on relocating 223 families living in natural disaster-prone areas to safer zones; and helped construct and upgrade houses for 135 households in erosion areas with a budget of over 1.3 billion VND.
Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Van Lam said the locality has 112 eroded sites along rivers and coasts with a total length of 19.4 km.
Last year, the province received 140 billion VND from the Government to repair two embankments to prevent erosion along rivers and upgrade another dyke along the coast.-VNA
VNA
