VietNamNet Bridge – It’s now the dry season, but landslide still occurs
repeatedly in many localities in Mekong Delta.
In fact, the out-of-season landslide has been occurring in the last few years,
but it has become alarming. On May 9, 2011, a landslide case occurred at the
Rach Cam Market in Long Hoa ward of Binh Thuy district in Can Tho City, killing
two and injuring five. Meanwhile, a part of the Rach Cam Market, covering an
area of 320 square meters collapsed into the river.
Another landslide case occurred on the morning of March 4 in Binh Duc village of
Long Xuyen City, sinking tens of houses. The cracks at the landslide site, next
to the Highway No. 91, are threatening the traffic safety, while the households
in the areas have evacuated.
The “red alarm” has also been rung for the Cho Gao canal in Cho Gao district of
Tien Giang province. More than 150 places with landslide have been found, which
has encroached on the shore by 2-20 meters. In many places, the stretches of
roads along the canal have been damaged, badly affecting local residents’ life.
In Can Tho City, which is called the “metropolis of the western region,” which
has the system of canals with 1000 kilometers in length and 65 kilometers of the
Hau River section, 24 landslide points with the total length of 56 kilometers
have been found. There are latent risks at the landslide points which threaten
the safety of people’s lives.
Landslide works still awaiting capital
Mekong River Delta’s residents hope that the anti-landslide projects to be
implemented in the future would protect them from the disaster. However, they
still do not know when the projects would be carried out, while the disaster is
getting more serious.
In 2010, the Can Tho City’s authorities approved the plan on fighting against
the landslide in the city, under which 29 embankment works would be built in the
period of 2010-2030.
The works would have the total length of 50 kilometers and the investment
capital of two trillion dong. It is expected that 15 works would be completed in
the first phase of the plan, in 2010-2015, while 12 works would be completed in
the second phase, in 2015-2025, and three works would be implemented in the
third phase, in 2025-2030.
However, most of the works still remain on paper, because the local authorities
still do not have money to implement the projects. To date, only the project on
building the embankment system on O Mon River (the first phase) has been kicked
off.
The work is expected to have the length of 1260 kilometers, located in the
territory of Chau Van Liem ward of O Mon district. This would be a solid
embankment with reinforced concrete, which would ensure the safety for local
residents’ life and upgrade urban planning
The whole construction work, from the O Mon Bridge to the Hau River, capitalized
at 416 billion dong, would be carried out in four phases which lasts four
months. Local residents have been expecting the embankment work with patience,
because it would protect them from the river shore landslide
As the situation has become serious, in late 2011, the Can Tho City People’s
Committee submitted to the government the plan to build 14 embankments with the
capital from the state budget, including four urgent projects, planned to be
implemented in 2012.
However, Pham Van Quynh, Director of the Can Tho City’s Department for
Agriculture and Rural Development, has foreseen that it will take much time to
get the disbursement from the state budget, because the city would have to
follow necessary complicated procedures.
Source: Lao dong