Changes in Khe Bo Hydropower Resettlement Area

(Baonghean) - From Khe Bo junction, we followed National Highway 48C to reach the resettlement area of ​​people in the villages of Tam Dinh commune, Tuong Duong district. From afar, Khe Bo hydropower plant is like a highlight in the majestic picture of the mountains and forests of the West. The lives of the people in the two resettlement villages here are changing day by day, becoming more prosperous and civilized...

In 2006, after the Prime Minister approved the Khe Bo Hydropower Plant Construction Project, the authorities developed a plan to relocate people out of the hydropower reservoir area. According to the initial plan, the two villages of Dinh Huong and Dinh Thang, including 276 households, would have to relocate from the reservoir area to the resettlement area of ​​Cao Veu, Phuc Son commune, Anh Son district. After dozens of surveys of land funds, soil conditions, and climate in Cao Veu and acknowledging the common wishes of the people, the Tuong Duong district authorities decided not to relocate households of the two villages of Dinh Huong and Dinh Thang to Cao Veu, but to organize on-site resettlement in the form of relocation. This plan received high approval from the people. After receiving the consensus of the people on the on-site relocation plan, the construction of resettlement infrastructure in the two villages of Dinh Huong and Dinh Thang was quickly implemented: construction of an 8 km long dirt road into the two villages, construction of a kindergarten, primary school, and community cultural house. By March 2013, the resettlement of the people in the two villages of Dinh Huong and Dinh Thang was basically completed.

A corner of Dinh Huong resettlement village, Tam Dinh commune, Tuong Duong district.

Now, the lives of the people in Dinh Thang and Dinh Huong villages have really changed. 100% of the relocated households have built decent houses; the road from National Highway 48C to the village has been leveled and widened. Dozens of households in the village have bought motorbikes to transport goods from the village to sell at Khe Bo market. Services such as grocery stores, forest product purchasing points, bamboo, and meters have also appeared in the village,... In particular, children in the two villages can go to school in decent schools replacing the previous makeshift classrooms. Many households have invested capital, planted xoan dau trees, and purchased milling machines. Some other households grow hybrid corn on upland land, bringing high economic efficiency. Mr. Kha Van Bong, Dinh Huong village said: With the price support from the State, this crop, he planted 100 kg of corn seeds, estimated to earn tens of millions of dong". Mr. Luong Van Loi's family boldly bought a milling machine to serve the people in the village. Mr. Loi said: "The lives of the people in Dinh Huong and Dinh Thang villages are gradually changing... With compensation money, people use it to buy cows and pigs to raise; with roads to travel, trade develops, corn, rice, pigs, chickens, ... are all brought to Khe Bo market to sell, at a good price. In the near future, with grid electricity and clean water for daily use, life will definitely be better...".

Since the hydroelectric dam has stored water, aquatic products such as fish and shrimp have become more abundant and diverse. Mr. Lu Doan, Secretary of the Dinh Thang village Party Cell, who is known as the "Khe Bo otter", said: "Not only him but many other households have had a stable income from fishing and selling shrimp on the lake to traders. Most families buy nets, corrugated iron boats or dugout canoes to catch aquatic products on the river. On peak days, each household can catch 3-5 kg ​​of shrimp, selling them to traders for more than 100,000 VND/kg. Some households have bought layered nets and caught silver carp and tilapia weighing 2-3 kg. Recently, Mr. Lo Van Thang's household caught a 12 kg catfish, which was sold for more than 7 million VND..." According to Mr. Lo Thanh Hung - Head of Dinh Huong village, currently, the number of poor households in Dinh Huong village is only over 60. In Dinh Thang village, the number of poor households is also decreasing every year. In the 2014 review, the village had 106 poor households and 12 near-poor households left.

Mr. Trinh Minh Chau, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district, affirmed that the advantage of the resettlement work of Khe Bo Hydropower Plant is that people only lose residential land, not much production land in fields and planted forests, so their lives are not affected too much. Currently, the project to bring grid electricity to people in 2 villages is entering the completion stage. The district is also requiring the project investor to quickly pour asphalt on the road into the village and come up with a plan to pour concrete on the internal village road according to new rural standards, gradually improving the people's lives... Importantly, with this form of migration, people are not much disrupted culturally, do not have to leave their birthplace... so they do not waste time to stabilize their thoughts, stabilize their lives...

Article and photos:Nguyen Khoa