Proactive response to landslides.

(Baonghean) - Tuong Duong is one of the areas in Nghe An province at high risk of landslides and flash floods. With support from the central and provincial governments, the district has made efforts to relocate and resettle hundreds of households from the areas at highest risk of landslides. However, the relocation process has faced many difficulties.

Officials from the Resettlement Board of Tuong Duong district are urging people in flood-affected areas to relocate.

In Tuong Duong district, there is also an emergency relocation project for people in landslide-prone areas: the resettlement project in Na Cang, Yen Tinh commune. To date, the project has completed 60% of its work and relocated 30 households from flood-prone areas to new homes, achieving 50% of the plan. Mr. Nguyen Vuong Luyen, Head of the Resettlement and New Economic Development Committee of Tuong Duong, said: In total, there are 15 resettlement projects in Tuong Duong district, including 13 projects that involve the relocation of 168 households/981 people from dangerous areas, achieving 100% of the plan. Two emergency relocation projects for people in landslide-prone areas are being implemented, initially showing clear effectiveness, reassuring both residents and officials as the rainy season approaches.

Due to its steep terrain, with residents mainly living at the foot of hills and near rivers and streams, the annual need for relocating residents in Tuong Duong is quite significant to ensure safety. In addition, many roads in Tuong Duong are frequently affected by landslides. According to statistics from the Disaster Prevention and Control Steering Committee, there are over 20 points on 3 routes from the district center to the communes that experience frequent landslides; besides that, there are dozens of other areas at risk of tornadoes, flash floods, and landslides.

However, the relocation of people from high-risk landslide areas in Tuong Duong district is currently facing many difficulties. Ms. Lo Thi Van, from Nhan Xan village (Luong Minh commune), has had a stable house on her land since 1998; but since the Nam Non hydroelectric dam started impounding water, each rise and fall of the water level has caused landslides. Just over a month after the dam was closed, landslides have already occurred, 4-5 meters encroaching on her family's livestock area; water is now reaching the foundation of her house, posing a serious danger. The Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district has inspected and surveyed the area and requested the commune to provide assistance for the family's urgent relocation; however, finding a new location is proving very difficult. In addition, concentrated resettlement projects such as Na Cang and Xop Mat are also facing funding difficulties. Furthermore, many households are unwilling to relocate despite the dangers. Although they acknowledge that the new location is better than their old one, they still choose to stay. In Xop Mat, the district had to hold up to 20 meetings with the people, and the district secretary, chairman, and vice-chairmen had to personally go to the village to dialogue, present various options, and persuade the people before they agreed to relocate.

Recently, several impacts have occurred in Tuong Duong district due to water accumulation from hydroelectric dams. According to the District Flood Control Command, in addition to the landslides caused by the Nam Non hydroelectric reservoir in Nhan Xan and La villages (Luong Minh commune), the Khe Bo hydroelectric reservoir has recently begun to cause landslides affecting agricultural land in Lau and Nhan villages (Thach Giam commune). Furthermore, according to regulations, after receiving compensation from the hydroelectric project, residents must relocate completely from the affected area to ensure safety. However, due to the slow payment of compensation for garden and residential land by the Khe Bo hydroelectric project, some residents have returned to their old homes, raising the ground level to build houses. In the long term, this will create complications when the hydroelectric water level rises, causing flooding or landslides. Mr. Nguyen Trong Tan, Chairman of the Tam Thai Commune People's Committee, said: Besides the four households that committed to the district compensation council to build higher houses to live in on the reservoir, at least seven households have returned to level the land in front of the Commune People's Committee to live in the reservoir area. The commune has recorded violations and issued warnings, but it is difficult to enforce the rules strictly because, according to the principle, the land remains theirs until the people receive compensation. Mr. Tan also suggested that in the long run, if the hydropower company is slow to pay, it is very likely that the people will refuse to accept the money.

Besides the re-encroachment on the reservoir in Tam Thai, during the rainy season, some villages in Tam Dinh commune are flooded, with rising water levels making travel difficult and villages like isolated islands. Residents have petitioned for solutions, but none have been addressed. With the storm situation becoming increasingly complex, Tuong Duong district is urgently compiling a list of spontaneously formed settlements located in high-risk areas for landslides and flash floods to develop relocation and prevention plans. Simultaneously, it is closely coordinating with the investors of the hydropower projects to develop plans to support households affected by landslides and flooding; and expeditiously completing compensation payments to definitively resolve the ongoing re-encroachment cases in Tam Thai commune.

Nguyen Hai