Nghe An: Emergency relocation projects remain in a 'slow' state

Urgent relocation project, but counterpart funds are trickling

Due to the steep terrain of Nghe An and the living habits of the people, many residential areas have been formed on the mountain slopes and along streams and creeks. This means that people have to facerisk of flash floods, landslides, especially during the rainy and stormy season. And in fact, the mountainous area of ​​Nghe An has experienced many flash floods and landslides, causing heavy damage to people and property.

Ky Son district is one of the localities that often suffers heavy damage due to floods and landslides. Photo: Thanh Chung

To ensure the safety of people in areas at risk of flash floods, landslides, on the basis of Decision No. 1776/QD-TTg, dated November 21, 2012 of the Prime Minister approving the program of resettlement of residents in disaster-prone areas, especially difficult areas, border areas, and islands, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee has directed departments, branches, and localities to develop and implement investment projects in concentrated and interspersed resettlement areas toemergency immigrationout of areas at risk of flash floods, landslides and especially difficult, border communes in the province.

Specifically, through the supervision of the Provincial People's Council's Ethnic Committee, it shows that by the end of 2019, the whole province had 21 projects approved for investment and 25 newly planned projects. Particularly in ethnic minority and particularly difficult areas, there were 16 projects in the districts of Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Que Phong, Quy Chau, Quy Hop and Quynh Luu.

By the end of 2019, out of 16 projects in ethnic minority and particularly difficult areas, only 4 projects had been completed; 9 projects were being extended or unfinished, and 3 projects had not been implemented.

The main reason, according to Ms. Lo Thi Kim Ngan - Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, is that the allocation of capital for projects is slow, scattered, and drip-fed, mainly from the central government, while the local budget is still very limited. The integration of capital sources from programs and projects in the area to improve the efficiency of capital investment and prevent waste and loss is not specific and not very effective. For example, the project to arrange and relocate residents in disaster-hit and especially disadvantaged areas in Chau Thanh commune (Quy Hop) has a total investment of 18.68 billion VND, of which the central government is more than 7.5 billion VND and the local budget is more than 11 billion VND.

The monitoring delegation of the Provincial People's Council's Ethnic Committee investigated the lives of people in the project to relocate residents in areas of natural disasters, flash floods, and landslides. Photo: Mai Hoa

Although the project was started in 2010, so far only nearly 6.8 billion VND has been allocated for the project out of a total of more than 7.5 billion VND from the central budget, while the local budget has not allocated any VND. Or the emergency resettlement project for natural disaster, landslide and extremely difficult areas in Binh Chuan commune (Con Cuong) with a total investment of more than 26.2 billion VND (central budget of more than 18.3 billion VND and local budget of more than 7.8 billion VND), but only 17.8 billion VND has been allocated from the central budget and from 2016 to now, no capital has been allocated. Currently, this project lacks roads to the resettlement area, domestic water system, kindergarten, community cultural house, etc.

In addition to the reason for the spread out and lack of capital allocation, leading to the prolonged and unfinished implementation of emergency evacuation projects in areas at risk of flash floods and landslides in the province, at the explanation session of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council with the leaders of the Provincial People's Committee and a number of provincial and local departments and branches at the end of September 2020 regarding a number of emergency evacuation projects out of natural disaster and landslide areas in the province that have been prolonged, causing public outrage, many opinions have also analyzed and clarified many other causes.

Many problems in investment and construction management

There are existing problems and shortcomings in the process of organizing, implementing and managing construction investment projects.

Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Huu Mao said that for construction projects, when 70-80% of the total capital has been allocated, the project is basically completed and can be put into use. However, in the project to build model residential areas for fishermen on Lam River and the particularly difficult area of ​​Thanh Chuong district (including 2 resettlement areas Khe Mu, Thanh Thuy commune and Trieu Duong resettlement area, Thanh Lam commune), although more than 70/86 billion VND has been allocated, reaching 81.39% of the total project investment capital, the project has not yet been put into use, many investment items have degraded, causing waste. This proves that in the process of organizing, implementing and managing the project's investment and construction, there are existing problems and shortcomings.

The emergency evacuation project for landslide disaster areas in Chau Tien commune (photo above) and Lien Hop commune, Quy Hop district is under construction. Photo: Mai Hoa

Another reason analyzed by the Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh is that the process of project establishment, the determination of scale and capital sources are not clear, leading to the project having to be adjusted many times and being prolonged. For example, the Khe Mu fishing village resettlement project (Thanh Chuong) oremergency migration projectThe project to the disaster and landslide areas in Chau Tien and Lien Hop communes (Quy Hop) has been adjusted three times. The Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Le Hong Vinh, also frankly pointed out: During the implementation process, the responsibilities of investors and some related departments and branches were not sufficient to promptly resolve arising difficulties, especially in allocating capital sources.

In addition, some opinions said that during the implementation process, the investor has not clearly identified the projects and items that need to be prioritized, so there are projects where people lack land for production because there is no compensation money to get land for people, or there is a lack of bridges to serve people's travel at the emergency evacuation project in natural disaster, landslide and especially difficult areas in Binh Chuan commune (Con Cuong)...

Redefine urgency to prioritize

It is undeniable that the active direction of the Provincial People's Committee along with the participation of a number of provincial and local departments and branches in implementing projects to relocate and resettle areas at risk of flash floods and landslides in the province. Among them, a number of projects have been completed and put into effective use with a total of 400 relocated and resettled households and their lives are gradually stabilizing.

However, in general, there are still many unfinished projects that have been delayed, besides wasting resources because many investment items have degraded, ensuring the safety of people in areas identified for urgent relocation has not been implemented. As Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Xuan Son stated at the explanation session at the end of September 2020, resettlement projects were all identified as urgent, but have not been completed after 8-10 years.

Through the supervision of the Provincial People's Council's Ethnic Committee, it shows that the emergency resettlement project in natural disaster, landslide and extremely difficult areas in Binh Chuan commune (Con Cuong). Photo: Mai Hoa

It is necessary to re-determine which projects are really urgent and which construction items are prioritized to have focused solutions.

After the explanation session, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council issued a Notice concluding the explanation session requesting the Provincial People's Committee to direct a comprehensive review of resettlement projects in the whole province, on that basis, re-determine which projects are really urgent and which priority construction items are needed to have concentrated solutions; at the same time, review the completed works and items in each project, conduct quality inspection and put them into use, avoiding waste.

Along with that, the Provincial People's Committee needs to direct the inspection and examination of construction works.have a state of disrepair, weak construction quality to clarify responsibilities; have a master plan to integrate central capital sources and balance the provincial budget to complete emergency resettlement projects early, in which, for the project to build model residential areas for fishermen on Lam River and the especially difficult area of ​​Thanh Chuong district, it must be completed and put into use in 2022.

I think that resettlement projects that have been classified as urgent should have a higher responsibility from all levels and sectors to speed up the implementation progress, to ensure the safety of people in the short term and in the long term to help people stabilize their lives, avoiding the situation of urgent decisions but slow implementation as in the past.

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