People in Bao Thang commune (Ky Son) have just overcome the consequences of flash floods and are worried about the risk of further landslides.

On October 2, Mr. Moong Van Loi - Chairman of Bao Thang Commune People's Committee (Ky Son) said that after the flash flood occurred at noon on October 1, the commune People's Committee officials, along with other forces and people from the villages, worked together to level, clear mud and soil and open temporary roads for people to travel.

“The sudden flash flood swept away tons of mud and soil, completely cutting off the roads it swept through, specifically the road from Cha Ka 1 village to the commune center. In addition, the rains of the previous days also caused landslides and damage to many roads and houses,” said Mr. Loi.

After mobilizing the people, the bypass road was opened up the mountainside in Cha Ka 1 village, only accessible by foot or motorbike and located about 500m from the center of Cha Ka 1 village. In some sections, people had to get off and push their carts because it was too narrow and steep. However, Bao Thang commune also advised people to limit their use of this temporary road as much as possible, because the soil and rocks are now soaked with water, wet and can collapse at any time.

After building a temporary road, the Commune People's Committee put up warning signs warning of danger and prohibiting travel in areas affected by flash floods. For some roads damaged and flooded during the recent rains, the local people and authorities have temporarily cleared them to facilitate travel within the commune.

As for the road connecting National Highway 7 to the center of Bao Thang commune, the District People's Committee is currently mobilizing machinery, together with the people and authorities of the communes along the route, including Huu Lap, Bao Nam, and Bao Thang, to temporarily dredge the landslides. At the same time, temporary detours are being opened at the top of hills and mountains, along the main road at the section of road that was completely washed away by floodwaters in Xieng Thu village, from Chieu Luu commune to Bao Thang commune.

“From Chieu Luu commune to Bao Thang commune, there are still 13 landslides, with huge amounts of soil and rocks lying on the road surface, which cannot be dug, leveled, or cleared. Currently, Bao Thang commune still has 3 locations that commune officials cannot access, and people cannot go to the village center. These are some locations in the villages: Tha Lang, Cha Ka 1, Ca Da, which must go around Cham Puong village, Luong Minh commune, and Chieu Luu commune to be able to enter, and are waiting for the road to be cleared before being able to enter Tha Lang village. Currently, we are waiting for excavators from the district People's Committee to be mobilized to fix it. As for the road connecting the villages of Bao Thang commune, we only dare to mobilize people to temporarily level and clear it, because the more we dig, level, and clear it, the more the soil and rocks above will collapse, which is very dangerous" - Chairman of Bao Thang commune People's Committee said.

According to local people, in addition to the damage to roads caused by heavy rain and flash floods, in Tha Lang village, there is a household with a crack across the floor of their house that had to be urgently evacuated. That is the house of Tha Lang village chief Xeo Van Ninh. When the large crack running along the floor was discovered, the government and people mobilized forces to evacuate the family members to temporarily stay at relatives' houses in the village; and moved some belongings to other houses. At the time the crack occurred, Mr. Xeo Van Ninh was attending a military training class in Hanoi, and his wife was also away. Luckily, he received help from the people and the government.

According to local people, the flash flood that occurred at noon on October 1st came from the source of a small stream flowing through Cha Ka 1 village. According to local people's observations, before that, at the source of the stream, there was a phenomenon of soil and rock landslides down to the stream bed, creating a barrier blocking the stream bed. Then, the rain caused water from the mountain to flow down, gradually seeping into that layer of soil and rock. By noon on October 2nd, although there was no rain, the "mud and rock pit" that had been created earlier was still smoldering at the source of the stream, which had broken, leading to a mud and mud flood.

Ms. Vi Thi Dam - Secretary of the Party Committee of Bao Thang Commune said that currently, people are having difficulty traveling. The commune also recommends that people only travel when absolutely necessary. And currently, Bao Thang Commune still has many potential risks of landslides, especially at the foot of electric poles with landslides. The roads to production areas are already difficult, now even more difficult, greatly affecting the production and livestock of the people.