Addressing safety violations along the left bank of the Lam River: Decisive solutions are needed.

(Baonghean) - The encroachment on the left bank of the Lam River for building houses, stockpiling materials, etc., in various localities is becoming increasingly complex and threatening the safety of the dike, especially during the rainy season. Besides violations "left over from the past," inadequacies in management are the root cause of new violations…

Widespread violations

The houses of Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu, Mr. Tran Van Ngo, and dozens of other families in Hamlet 2, Luu Son Commune, Do Luong District, are located adjacent to the left bank of the Lam River dike; a portion of the constructions they are using are within the dike protection corridor (according to the regulations of the Dike Law effective July 1, 2007). However, when asked about the reason for the violation, Mr. Tran Van Ngo stated: “We have lived here for generations, legally on the land inherited from our ancestors with complete documentation. Therefore, it cannot be said that we are violating the law; the reality is that there is an overlap in the regulations of the Land Law and the Dike Law…” Similarly, the section of the left bank of the Lam River dike passing through Block 6, Do Luong Town, has also formed an entire residential area with solid houses and shops right on the dike.

Many households in Hamlet 5, Dong Son Commune (Do Luong District) have erected makeshift shelters and stockpiled bamboo on the Ta Lam dike.

Not only are there historical violations, but many new violations continue to arise and are at risk of increasing in Do Luong district. Specifically, in the area bordering Hamlet 5, Dong Son commune and Do Luong town, the dike surface and embankment corridor are completely occupied by households engaged in the bamboo and rattan trade. Besides affecting the safety corridor of the dike, the visibility of road users is also restricted... Meanwhile, the section of the dike passing through Hamlet 13, Trang Son commune, is being used by residents along the road to place advertising signs, erect fences, plant trees, and stockpile soil and rocks...

In Nam Dan district, along the more than 13 km of dike stretching from Van Dien commune to Xuan Lam commune, numerous material stockpiling points exist directly on the dike surface. For example, in the section passing through Hamlet 11, Xuan Lam commune, and the Tay Ho area of ​​the town, right next to the signpost of the Dike Law, many households are using the dike surface to stockpile timber with diameters extending for tens of meters. In Hung Nguyen district, in addition to the situation of households using the dike surface to stockpile materials, Bac Son Company in Hung Xuan commune is also occupying the dike protection corridor to stockpile large quantities of ore. Not far from the foot of Yen Xuan bridge, the exploitation and stockpiling of sand affecting the dike safety corridor has not been definitively resolved.

Identifying the cause

Regarding the causes, there are violations "left over from history," such as in the Luu Son area, Block 6, Do Luong Town. In reality, the people lived there before the dike was built, and the land owned by households with land use rights certificates is located within the dike protection corridor. Furthermore, during the repair and upgrading of the dikes, the entire dike protection corridor was used up, and the cost of compensation for land acquisition is difficult to achieve. In a discussion with us, Mr. Tran Doan Hung, Head of the Agriculture Department of Do Luong District, stated: "In reality, people have built houses and lived there for a long time, before the Dike Law came into effect, so it's very difficult to handle. Currently, along with regular inspections and administrative handling to prevent new cases of houses encroaching on the dike safety zone, the local authorities have only focused on raising awareness and encouraging people not to leave materials on the dike."

Regarding new violations, the primary cause is the poor awareness of dike regulations among some residents; secondly, the management and handling of violations in some areas lack decisiveness and thoroughness in fulfilling assigned tasks. In reality, detecting dike violations such as kiosk construction and material stockpiling is not difficult; however, the handling of these violations by authorities after detection is not thorough, thus allowing violations to continue unchecked and potentially escalate. Regarding the unresolved issue of sand mining and stockpiling affecting the dike safety corridor, Mr. Vo Van Cam, Head of Hung Nguyen 1 Dike Management Unit, explained: “It is very difficult to handle this because the sand mining site here has existed for a long time. Therefore, we only issue fines when the sand piles up too high to force them to reduce the load (?!). As for the ore mining site of Bac Son Company, although the stockpiling affects the dike corridor, it has been inactive for a long time, so no action has been taken yet.”

In Nam Dan, despite the long-standing problem of wood and construction materials being stockpiled on the dike, Mr. Le Dai Viet, Deputy Head of the Dike Management Unit, insisted there were no violations. When reporters pointed out specific cases of violations, he claimed that "the people are just leaving them there temporarily."

Not to mention, there is a lack of genuine responsibility between the specialized dike management force and the local dike management forces in handling violations, leading to a tendency to shift responsibility. For example, regarding violations in Do Luong Town, Mr. Le Dinh Sau, Head of the District Dike Management Unit, stated: "The unit only detects and records violations; the responsibility for handling them rests with the government"; while Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Vice Chairman of the Town People's Committee, said: "In cases of violations, the unit cooperates with the town to record violations. However, to resolve the issue completely, the main responsibility lies with the unit"...

Speaking with us, Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu, Head of the Provincial Department of Dike Management and Flood Control, said: The Ta Lam dike is 68.2 km long, running through the districts of Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, and Vinh City. Besides violations stemming from the past, there are also cases of re-encroachment and new violations. In the first six months of 2014 alone, 21 new violations occurred, mainly involving the construction of kiosks and the stockpiling of materials on the dike. The main reasons for these violations are negligence and lax management, and a lack of decisive action in handling violations. Furthermore, the lack of close coordination between management agencies and local authorities has led to limited effectiveness, low results, and a weak deterrent effect.

In the coming period, the Sub-Department of Dike Management and Flood Control will focus on directing dike management forces to regularly stay close to the local area and the people to disseminate information and explain the Law on Dikes to the people so that they understand and strictly implement it; closely directing the local Dike Management Units to strengthen patrols, detect violations, coordinate with local authorities to resolve them completely, and supplement funding to mark the boundaries of the dike management corridor... "Currently, the sub-department is submitting a request to establish an inspection department, based on which there will be sanctions to definitively handle cases of violations; previously, the handling of violations depended on the local authorities, making it difficult to thoroughly address the issue," Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu added.

In order to definitively resolve the violations of safety regulations on the Ta Lam dike and proactively respond to the approaching rainy and stormy season, the Sub-Department of Dike Management and Flood Control needs to urge dike management units to enhance their sense of responsibility and proactively coordinate with localities with dikes to prevent new violations from arising and strictly handle existing violations. At the same time, specific responsibilities should be assigned to each level of management to avoid shirking responsibility. In addition, priority should be given to investing in projects to build access roads along the dike and ramps; installing weight limit signs and guardrails on dike routes to prevent the accumulation of materials and dumping of garbage. In the long term, consideration should be given to relocating households living near the dike, along with providing adequate compensation and resettlement arrangements. This cannot be done overnight and requires decisive action from all levels, sectors, and localities.

Quang An