Houses collapsed into the O Mon River as a result of bank erosion in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho (Photo: VNA) Ca Mau (VNS/VNA) - The People’s Committee of the southernmost province of Ca Mauhas asked the Government to provide 300 billion VND (13.2 million USD) to move locals from landslide-prone areasto new residential areas.
The funds will be used to speed up constructionof new residential areas for households living in erosion-prone areas along theriver in Hang Vinh commune and Nam Can district.
Under the plan, some 356 out of 1,200 householdswill be urgently relocated to new areas.
To Hoai Phuong, Chairman of the Nam Can DistrictPeople’s Committee, said that heavy rains had caused many landslides in theregion.
He said that the authorities must closelymonitor weather conditions and issue warnings about landslide-prone areas sothat residents can move to a safe area.
Coastal districts in the province usually sufferthe worst impact of climate change. Nam Can, Ngoc Hien and Dam Doi districts,in particular, were hit by landslides at different levels, according to theprovincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Since the beginning of last year, 540m of landhave eroded and 43m of riverbank have collapsed, affecting over 320ha ofaquaculture, property and residents’ lives.
Provincial authorities do not have specificstatistics on the extent of damage caused by the disaster.
Last year, Ca Mau province proposed providingaid of 120 billion VND (5.28 million USD) to relocate 500 households at Vam Xoayand Rach Goc seagate in Ngoc Hien district.
By 2025, the province will need 1.2 trillion (52.8million USD) to evacuate nearly 5,700 households from landslide-prone areas toa safe place.
The same situation is occurring in Dong Thap province.More than 5,900 households living in landslide-prone areas should berelocated, according to the provincial People’s Committee.
At least 900 out of more than 5,900 householdsneed to relocate immediately, but many will have to live in the tents or intheir relatives’ houses because of the lack of residential housing.
Meanwhile, about 1,540 households living inareas with a high risk of landslides need to relocate soon.
The province has asked the Government to provide about 660 billionVND (29 million USD) to move localsfrom landslide-prone areas to safe places as well as build new residentialareas.
Since the beginning of this year, ninelandslides have damaged 163km of land along Tien River’s bank in the province,and caused losses of over 172 million VND (7,530 USD).
Thanh Binh district, Hong Ngu town and Cao Lanh cityhave been the most affected by erosion.
The province plans to deal with eroded areasalong Tien River’s bank in Thanh Binh district’s Binh Thanh commune and Chau Thanhdistrict’s An Hiep commune.
This will include building an embankment betweenThanh Binh district’s Binh Thanh commune and Cao Lanh district’s Phong My commune,and implementing the second phase of the project on extending a 460m section ofembankment in Hong Ngu district’s Thuong Thoi Tien commune.
The province has asked the people’s committees ofthese districts to install warning signs and raise awareness about erosionprevention among local residents.
Between 2005 and 2017, the province recorded25 eroded sites along the Tien River, covering an area of 305ha, according to areport from the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
The province provided 350 billion VND (15.3million USD) in funds to move locals from landslide areas to newresidential areas.-VNS/VNA
VNA
