Landslide-hit residents in Hoa Binh province resettled

 

Hoa Binh (VNS/VNA) - Chairman of the People’s Committee of the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh Nguyen Van Quang has ordered authorities of Ky Son district to arrange a resettlement area for residents whose houses have been vulnerable to landslides on Road 445.

The provincial authorities will supply water and power for the resettlement area, Quang said on August 6 at a provincial meeting on resettlement projects for people affected by natural disasters.

He ordered officials to arrange accommodations for eight families whose houses were directly affected by the landslides and to issue landslide warnings on Road 445 for people passing by.

Torrential rains since the middle last month due to the Son Tinh storm plus a high volume of water released from Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant have flooded the downstream area of the Da River, including Ky Son district and Hoa Binh city, and eroded land in the area.

Fifteen houses along Road 445 in Ky Son district, located about 20km from Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, were vulnerable to land erosion and collapse.

Since July 30, nine houses in Dong Tien ward, Hoa Binh city completely collapsed into the Da River. Then other houses half collapsed and nine houses had cracks on the walls or floors.

As many as 134 other houses along the Da River in Dong Tien ward of Hoa Binh city are highly prone to landslides. Thirty-five households of the ward have been evacuated to safer areas.

The local authorities have planned to move another 35 households to Trung Minh commune’s resettlement area and expand the land lot next to Trung Minh Commune’s resettlement area to build a new resettlement area which is expected to cover 2.1ha.

The city’s authorities have also proposed building a new resettlement area in Thai Thinh commune for landslide-prone families.

The provincial People’s Committee ordered Hoa Binh city’s authorities to level the surface of landslide-prone areas before September 10.

Quang also ordered the installation of more pumping stations in the city to prevent floods.

Thirteen urgent resettlement areas have been completed in the districts of Da Bac, Kim Boi, Mai Chau, Tan Lac and Hoa Binh city and residents have moved in. Power and water infrastructure is about to be completed.-VNS/VNA