Hung Nguyen Needs Capital Investment to Build Embankments to Prevent Landslides

(Baonghean) - For many years, people in localities along the Lam River in Hung Nguyen district have had to face the reality of landslides. To cope with the risk of losing productive land, local authorities and people want to invest capital to build embankments, prevent landslides, protect cultivated land, and stabilize their lives.

Following the cadastral officers of Hung Khanh commune, we went to the fertile alluvial plain of the commune. Before our eyes was the sight of a long strip of land in a state of deep erosion into the bank, many areas of corn and spring peanuts that had just been fertilized by the people were also affected. Mr. Pham Hong Xuyen - hamlet 2, confided "My family has been attached to the alluvial land for over 20 years, due to landslides, the road at the foot of the alluvial land had to be moved, this is the 5th time. In March, the south wind begins to appear, in May and June, the Lao wind comes and the alluvial land collapses loudly.

Landslide in Hung Nguyen area

Every year, about 5 m of production land is eroded in the area of ​​my house. Mr. Vo Quang Van - Vice Chairman of Hung Khanh Commune People's Committee, said: The whole commune currently has over 40 hectares of alluvial land. Every year, the commune directs people to grow corn and peanuts in the spring crop, sesame and beans in the summer-autumn crop, and one winter corn crop. Production on alluvial land accounts for half of the total agricultural income in the locality, so people stick to the alluvial land and consider it an important means of production. However, every year, the commune's alluvial land is frequently eroded. The erosion gets worse from the time the south wind starts to the rainy season in late August and September. Every year, the commune loses 2-3 hectares of alluvial land due to erosion.

Not only losing production land, people in some riverside areas in Hung Nguyen also have to face the reality of landslides. According to Mr. Ho Van Khanh - Hamlet 5 (Hung Phu), up to now, the garden in front of his house has eroded nearly 20m compared to 7 years ago. Every year, facing the situation of "having" land taken, his family spends 2-3 million to build stone embankments and plant bamboo stakes to hold the land. In 2011, the family invested nearly 200 million to raise the house foundation 1m high.

Not only in Hung Khanh, Hung Phu, but also in 9/23 communes along Lam River of Hung Nguyen district, landslides have occurred, especially in the production land. The consequences of landslides along the river not only lead to the risk of losing cultivated land but also affect people's lives. According to the assessment, the cause of landslides in Hung Nguyen is due to fluctuations in the water environment, erratic tides, and sand and gravel mining, which are also the causes of changes in the flow of water, causing landslides.

In localities with landslides, especially landslides during the rainy and stormy season such as Hung Lam, Hung Phu... for a long time, Hung Nguyen district has directed local authorities to implement plans to evacuate people into the dike when there is a 3rd alert. However, due to common difficulties, the relocation work has not been implemented much.

According to Mr. Vo Quang Van - Vice Chairman of Hung Khanh Commune People's Committee, currently over 2km of riverbank running through the commune has been eroded. Every year, for dangerous sections, the commune has a plan to plant bamboo, dig and fill stones manually... so the efficiency is not high. The biggest wish of the government and people now is to have an anti-erosion embankment to help stabilize the river, protect the cultivated land, and stabilize the lives of the people.

Talking to us about this issue, Mr. Dang Van Quyen - Head of the Department of Construction Management - Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: The capital from the Central Government only meets about 20% of the construction needs of the project, so the construction of the embankment to prevent landslides along the Lam River can only be repaired in a "patch-and-patch" manner, meaning that the embankment can only be repaired at "hot spots" with urgent landslides. From 2009 to now, only 2 projects have been completed: Huu My embankment through Hung Lam, 1.2 km long with a total investment of 10 billion, and upgrading and repairing Hung Linh embankment. Currently, the construction of the Hung Khanh - Hung Nhan embankment section has been surveyed, designed, and marked in preparation for the construction process, but because the government is cutting investment in project works, capital is a difficult problem in the construction of the embankment to prevent landslides in Hung Nguyen.

Luong Mai