Behind the 'glamour' of hydropower
(Baonghean.vn) - The economic benefits of hydropower plants are undeniable, but behind that "glory," the people and local authorities are struggling to bear the enormous consequences left behind by hydropower.
For over 10 years, hundreds of households in five communes of Ky Son district have suffered hardship because they are located within the planned area for two hydroelectric power plants. The hydroelectric power plants have not been built, while residents and local authorities are not allowed to invest in roads, build houses, etc. In some villages, unable to bear this situation any longer, households have been forced to leave their ancestral homes.
"Is there a large copy?"
Kha Van Long (33 years old) can't remember how many kilometers he trekked through the forest to carry water in cans during the recent drought. For nearly two months, there was no rain in this border area, and the streams and springs near Xop Duong village (My Ly commune, Ky Son district), where Long lives, dried up completely. To get water for cooking, Long, like other villagers, had to trek through the forest for hours carrying plastic containers back home. For bathing and washing, the villagers had to go down to the muddy waters of the Nam Non River.
But it's not just the lack of water; for a long time, Long's village of Xop Duong and the neighboring village of Chang Nga have been known by a rather unflattering name: "Villages of many nothings." There's no electricity, no phone signal, no paved roads, no health clinic... And the school here is just a dilapidated, temporary building.