Hundreds of meters long cracks appeared on the mountain, threatening the safety of Tuong Duong residents.

According to the people of Huoi Pai village, in 2017, on the mountain slope to the south of Huoi Pai river, a crack appeared tens of meters long. The highest point of the crack is more than 400 meters from Provincial Road 543C. In addition, on that hill, there are many other cracks that are getting bigger and bigger.

Mr. Vi Van Khon, a police officer and deputy of Huoi Pai village, said that people discovered the crack in 2017, and now it has spread and lasted longer. Currently, the most dangerous thing is the crack in the area near the top of the hill, it not only affects families living at the foot of the mountain but also threatens the lives of passersby and traffic of more than 4 villages in the inner areas of Yen Tinh and Huu Khuong communes.

“If that much rock and soil were to slide down, the entire road and stream of Huoi Pai would be completely blocked, and households in the inner area of ​​Huoi Pai would probably be deeply submerged in water,” Mr. Khon added.

Currently, many cracks have spread more than 20cm wide. Photo: Ho Phuong

Mr. Lo Hoang Dieu, a resident of Huoi Pai village, Yen Tinh commune, is a family that was severely affected by the flash floods of storms No. 3 and No. 4 in August 2018 and has not been able to evacuate. However, for Mr. Dieu, the most worrying thing is still the long crack on the mountain.

“My family is urgently looking for a new location to move the house. This location is extremely dangerous, the cracks can cause landslides at any time. At that time, my whole family will be buried” – Mr. Hoang Dieu shared.

Our observations show that the cracks on the hillside belonging to the acacia garden of the Huoi Pai villagers are about 100m long, with some cracks being more than 20cm wide. Over time, the soil on the mountain near Provincial Road 543C has developed many large cracks. The ground in this area is also extremely weak.

The intersection between the crack and Provincial Road 543 is a high, steep mountain peak with many large rocks that are very dangerous. Photo: Ho Phuong

Mr. Quang Van Thuyet - Secretary of the Huoi Pai village Party Cell said that since the crack appeared on the mountain, the people of Huoi Pai village have not been able to eat well or sleep well. He hopes that the state and local authorities will soon handle the incident on the mountain so that the villagers can travel with peace of mind.

“Since the crack appeared, we have been propagating and reminding people to be very careful every time they pass through that landslide. We will also report to the commune so that the commune can inspect and find a solution to handle the incident,” Mr. Thuyet added.

Mr. Vi Van Khiem - Chairman of Yen Tinh Commune People's Committee said that the Provincial Road 543C section in Huoi Pai village is often subject to landslides. For large cracks on the mountainside, the commune authorities will send people to inspect and report in writing to the district so that the district can have a timely solution.

The high-voltage power line pole is located entirely within the landslide area of ​​the crack. Photo: Ho Phuong

Huoi Pai village has 86 households with 374 people. People live on both sides of Huoi Pai stream and scattered on both sides of Provincial Road 543C. The main economic source of the villagers is mainly livestock farming and rice cultivation on both sides of the stream. Flash floods and landslides are two difficult problems that not only Huoi Pai villagers but also Yen Tinh commune often face.

Provincial Road 543C connects Cua Rao (Xa Luong Commune) to Ban Xan (Huu Khuong Commune), a route with many people and vehicles regularly passing by. Photo: Ho Phuong