Illustration photo (Source: VNA) Nearly 1,400 households living in the landslide-prone areas in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang need to be relocated so they can lead a stable life in the long run.
According to Chief of the provincial Steering Committee for flood and storm and search and rescue Le Phuoc Dai, there is a high risk of landslide in the areas due to local customs of building houses and roads near canals or on the swift-flowing rivers.
The situation becomes more serious when landslides not only occurred in the rainy season but also in the dry one, he said, citing nearly 20 landslide incidents were reported in the riverside areas in the first months of this dry season.
It is attributed to the global climate change impact, including the rising sea level and salt intrusion.
Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Dong said the most effective measure against landslides is to reinforce the dyke system, but it takes a lot of money.
Therefore, in the foreseeable future, the locality plans to relocate all households in the landslide-prone areas, he said.
To do this, the province needs over 340 billion VND (15.3 million USD) to build dykes, infrastructure and resettlement houses.
From the beginning of 2015, Hau Giang observed over 40 riverside landslide incidents, up 30 cases over the previous year, causing huge economic loss.-VNA
