Massive deforestation of protective forests in the Song Tranh 2 hydropower basin
While the water leakage incident at the Song Tranh 2 hydroelectric dam (Quang Nam) has not yet "cooled down", these days in the basin of this hydroelectric plant, thousands of people in the resettlement area are massively destroying protective forests to make fields and sell wood for a living.
To give up land for the construction of Song Tranh 2 hydropower project, since 2007, Quang Nam province has carried out clearance and resettlement for more than 1,000 households with more than 5,000 people to live in Tra Doc, Tra Bui, Tra Giac communes (Bac Tra My district) and Tra Don, Tra Leng communes (Nam Tra My district).
However, for many years moving to a new place, because they were not allowed to change their occupations and were not granted land for production, people have been destroying protective forests every day. Mr. Dinh Van Xuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Bui Commune, Bac Tra My District, said: "Because the investor built poor quality houses for people, not suitable to the customs of the people, they illegally went into the forest to cut wood to build stilt houses next to the houses to live and work. In addition, although people have moved to a new place, many households have not been granted land for production or changed their occupations, so they destroy forests to find land for production, cut wood to earn a living every day... This is inevitable."
Young men bring saws to cut wood in the protected forest every day, then move them to the edge of the forest to sell for a living.
The hottest time is during the slash-and-burn season, which lasts from late March to April every year. They leave home and take their children to the mountains to set up tents to clear the forest to find land for production and sell wood to make a living.
Mr. Ho Van Xanh in Tra Bui commune, Bac Tra My district said: “Since leaving the hydroelectric reservoir to live in the resettlement area in the middle of the protective forest, our lives have been miserable in every way: no clean water, no land for production, no jobs, and our houses are deteriorating too quickly. To survive in this new land, there is no other way but to destroy the forest to find land for farming, take wood to build stilt houses and sell it to brokers to earn money to buy food and provisions”. According to the latest statistics from the Song Tranh 2 protective forest management board, from 2007 to now, people in the resettlement areas in the basin of this project have destroyed more than 46 hectares of protective forest, “cutting up” hundreds of ancient trees with more than 700m3precious wood of all kinds. In Tra Bui commune, Bac Tra My district alone, there are more than 400 illegally built wooden stilt houses (each house is on average 10 - 20m3Wood) because the housing in the resettlement area is of poor quality, not suitable to the customs of the local people.
In the resettlement areas in Tra Bui commune, Bac Tra My district alone, there are at least 400 wooden stilt houses made from protective forest wood (each house is from 15 - 20m3wood) was confirmed by local authorities as "illegal".
According to SGTT
