Bridge collapses, residents isolated.

(Baonghean)Whenever the rainy season arrives, the only way for the people of hamlets 12 and 16 in Hung Long commune, Hung Nguyen district, to connect with the outside world is via Tong Ngoan bridge. However, the recent floods caused this bridge to collapse, creating significant difficulties for the local residents in their daily commute.

Currently, the water level of the Lam River has dropped below alarm level 1. Yet, 220 households with nearly 1000 people in hamlets 12 and 16 are still isolated. Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, a resident of hamlet 12 in Hung Long commune, said: "Here, when the water level reaches alarm level 2, we residents outside the dike have to travel by boat. When the floodwaters are at alarm level 1, we can still travel across the Tong Ngoan bridge. Now that the bridge is broken, we have to travel by boat. Each round trip costs each person 5,000 dong."

The Tong Ngoan Bridge collapsed due to heavy rain and flooding.

The Tong Ngoan Bridge was designed with 3 abutments and 2 spans, with a length of over 8 meters and a width of 2.5 meters. Since its completion, the bridge has facilitated travel and agricultural production for the local people in the alluvial plain. The bridge collapsed due to several reasons, but the most fundamental was its flawed design. The entire bridge abutment was constructed solely of stone without reinforced concrete. Over time, these abutments were severely eroded by the water flow. To remedy this, before the rainy season, the Nghe An Provincial Dike Management Department, in coordination with the local authorities, repaired the abutments by using gabions to reinforce them. However, this reinforcement inadvertently obstructed the water flow. Consequently, when floodwaters from upstream surged, the bridge collapsed in half.

The collapse of the Tong Ngoan bridge not only affects the lives of people in the flooded area but also significantly impacts the local economic development. According to design consultants, building a new bridge would cost between 5 and 7 billion VND, while restoring the old bridge would cost over 1 billion VND. For a purely agricultural commune like Hung Long, this is an undertaking that could never be accomplished. Therefore, the commune urgently needs government support to facilitate easier transportation for its residents. Mr. Hoang Nghia Toan, Secretary of the Hung Long Commune Party Committee, stated: "In Hung Long commune, after the floodwaters recede, we immediately begin plowing the floodplains to plant early spring corn. Now that the bridge has collapsed, people are facing significant difficulties in transportation. Therefore, we hope the district and province will soon have a plan to restore this bridge so that people can travel and produce more easily in the floodplains."

Hong Son