Nghe An: Delayed resettlement project, flood victims worried

The Thuan Hoa Hamlet Executive Committee put up warning signs outside the riverbank and continuously checked and reminded households not to travel if not necessary. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Present at Thuan Hoa hamlet,Hung Hoa commune, Vinh city(Nghe An), although the water level has decreased, the whole village is still floodeddeep,The lowest point is 20 cm and the area near the embankment is nearly 1 m deep. A resident said: Every year during the rainy season, the hamlet is flooded several times, with a depth of 1 - 1.5 m. The current water level has dropped nearly 60 cm compared to last night. Although the water inside is calm, pOutside, the river flows quite strongly and swirls, so the neighborhood has to put up warning signs to prevent anyone from coming near. In fact, for safety, some families living outside near the stream stay with their relatives inside, and during the day, they wade in to check their houses.

Comrade Phan Duc Dong - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of Vinh City Party Committee, together with the Vinh City Flood and Storm Prevention Command Board directly inspected and surveyed the flooded area in Hung Hoa commune. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Mr. Nguyen Van Diep, a resident of Thuan Hoa hamlet, said: "During the flood on October 20, the water levelLam RiverThe water rose nearly 2 meters above normal levels and flooded our house about 30 cm. After the water receded, it seemed like people would be able to return to their normal lives, but then heavy rains accompanied by storm No. 9 hit, so everyone rushed to take preventive measures."

We learned that Hoa Lam used to be an independent hamlet outside the dike. In 2019, implementing the policy of merging hamlets, Hung Hoa commune mobilized and merged them into the hamlet inside the dike and named it Thuan Hoa hamlet. Ms. Hoang Thi Thuyet - hamlet chief said: The hamlet currently has 67 households with over 200 people, every year it is flooded 1-2 times. If it is fast, it is a few days, but there are times when the water recedes for weeks.

Normally, it is not a big deal because the Hoa Lam people are used to flooding, but through information, we know that some hydroelectric plants on the Lam River are releasing floodwaters and the Ke Go Dam (Ha Tinh) has a branch flowing into the Lam River, the water level is rising quite quickly, so the hamlet committee is constantly checking and reminding the people not to be subjective. Until there is a resettlement area for the people to move inside the dike, we cannot feel secure.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Thuyet - village head of Thuan Hoa village

The resettlement project focused on 58 households in Hoa Lam hamlet, now increased to 67 households with a total investment of 36.6 billion VND, and was allocated 3.66 hectares of land right next to the inside of the Lam River dike. Photo: Nguyen Hai

In fact, due to frequent severe flooding in the years before 2010, in 2012, along with a number ofemergency evacuation projectOther areas in Hung Hoa are invested in infrastructure construction.Resettlementconcentrated in Thuan Hoa hamlet (Decision No. 1776/QD-TTg dated November 21, 2012). Accordingly, the State invested 36.6 billion VND, of which the central budget allocated 25.6 billion VND, the local budget was 10.9 billion VND to level 3.309 hectares to create a concentrated resettlement area for 58 households in Hoa Lam hamlet to move in. However, due to the lack of capital, the project will only begin implementation in 2020.

Mr. Vo Manh Hung - Deputy Head of the Financial Planning Department, Department of Rural Development said: According to the plan, the Village Cultural House will be built first to serve as a place for community activities and to arrange and relocate people when flooded. However, due to problems with site clearance, the progress has been slowed down. Not only that, the leveling process, because the land is a pond, instead of building a cultural house, the Department requires contractors to compact the ground and build roads first. Currently, the project is following the contract and it is expected that by the end of the year, 80% of the transferred resources will be completed by 2021.

Contrary to the investor's representative's assertion, a resident living near the resettlement project in Thuan Hoa hamlet said: It is said to be an emergency resettlement project and it is the rainy and stormy season, but every few weeks there are only a few cars and earth-carrying machines coming down to level the ground. With such a slow approach, we do not know when the project will be completed. Every day, every time there is heavy rain, rising water and especially when the radio reports a storm, peoplerestless

After more than 10 months of implementation, the concentrated resettlement area is now just an empty lot and roads connecting to the newly formed residential area. Photo: Nguyen Hai

Concerned about the project's construction progress, Comrade Phan Duc Dong - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of Vinh City Party Committee, after inspecting the flooding situation in Hoa Lam hamlet, requested the City Flood and Storm Prevention Command to specifically inspect the project situation to report to the Vinh City Party Committee and People's Committee to work with the investor, find solutions to difficulties, and speed up the project's progress.

The Village Executive Committee went to each house to check and remind people to move their belongings and livestock to higher ground and to prepare plans to evacuate when necessary. Photo: PV