The Dak Kar hydro-electric dam in Binh Phuoc province was hit by a landslide on August 8. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Southern localities affected by typhoon Wipha, have taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of people living in high risk areas.
On Phu Quoc Island in the southern province of Kien Giang, the authority banned all vessels from going to sea and halted all meetings while mobilising all forces to prepare for bad weather.
Mai Van Huynh, chairman of the People’s Committee of Phu Quoc district, told Tuoi tre (Youth) online newspaper “Most of the island has been inundated with rain by noon of August 9.”
Even areas that had not been flooded before, including communes of Duong To, Ham Ninh, Ganh Dau, and An Thoi town, were now inundated, he said.
It was estimated more than 4,400 households were submerged, the island’s Duong Dong town suffered the most from the storm, he said.
Local rescue teams and soldiers evacuated thousands of people to temporarily accommodation in health centres, offices, schools and hotels that had not been flooded.
In the southern province of Binh Phuoc, rescue forces on August 9 evacuated 5,000 people living in Bu Dang district downstream of Dak Kar hydro-electric dam after the dam was put on high alert due to prolonged torrential rains and its valve door was jammed on August 8 afternoon.
Previously, the locality also evacuated about 1,000 people to safer places in the district.
The move came after the provincial steering committee on natural disaster prevention and control together with Dak Kar Hydro-power Joint Stock Company checked the water level of the dam at 3pm on August 8.
At that time, the water level of the dam is 477 metres, equal to about 14 million cubic metres of water. Due to the torrential rains, water had overflowed causing a landslide at its foot. Torrential rains of 80-100mm are forecast in the coming days.
In the southern province of Dong Nai, authorities on August 9 continued evacuating an additional of 1,200 households, living in four communes of Nui tuong, Nam Cat Tien, Dac Lua and Phu Thinh in Tan Phu district, near Dong Nai River, to a safe place after torrential rains hit the river’s upstream.
The Dong Nai 5 Hydropower Plant discharged water on Thursday night, causing problems for the communes.
Previously, the administration evacuated 700 households in the communes at midnight of August 8, said Vo Tuan Dung, chairman of the People’s Committee of the district.
It was estimated that hundreds of tonnes of caged fish and poultry died due to the flooding.
The National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting on August 9 warned that heavy rains with rainfall of 50-120mm would continue hitting southern provinces of Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai on August 10. - VNS/VNA
VNA
