Need to immediately handle the serious landslide situation along Lo River

Photo caption — Landslide is only a few meters away from houses in zone 20, Dan Chu commune, Phu Tho province.

Landslides "eat" deep into riverside residential areas

In zone 20, Dan Chu commune, large areas of land along the river were washed away by the water, leaving deep ravines stretching hundreds of meters. In just a short time, the lush green gardens of vegetables and fruit trees of the people disappeared, giving way to the muddy water that was gradually eating away at the banks.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Sang, one of the three households most severely affected, stood silently beside the empty land where his family's fruit-laden garden used to be, his voice choked as he said, "I have lived here for more than 40 years, but I have never seen such a severe landslide. In just half a day, the entire garden, nearly 30 meters long, along with trees and outbuildings, were swept away by the water. Now the landslide has reached the yard, only a few meters from the wall. My wife, children and I do not dare to sleep in the house anymore, we have to temporarily stay at a relative's house."

According to statistics from the People's Committee of Dan Chu Commune, the landslide stretches from Km36+500 to Km37+350, with a total length of about 850 m, directly affecting 17 households with 70 people. Every time there is prolonged heavy rain, the entire area is at risk of landslides or serious flooding.

Mr. Le Phuc Tuat, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dan Chu Commune, said that immediately after discovering the landslide, the commune sent forces to stand guard, put up warning ropes in dangerous areas, and at the same time propagated and mobilized households to move assets and necessary items to a safe place. We also promptly reported to the provincial authorities, requested emergency support and conducted surveys to soon have a long-term anti-erosion embankment solution.

According to Mr. Tuat, the riverbank in Dan Chu commune has a terrain of sandy soil and a steep slope. When heavy rains combine with the rapid flow of the Lo River, water easily erodes deep into the foot of the bank, causing rapid subsidence. Not only does this directly threaten people's homes and crops, but it also potentially affects the traffic route along the riverbank.

Proposal for urgent investment in anti-erosion embankment

Landslides not only occur in Dan Chu commune, Phu My commune is also facing complicated landslide developments. According to a quick report from the People's Committee of the commune, there have been 4 landslides and river bank collapses recorded in the area; in which, the most serious is in area 9 (old Phu My commune), calculated along the dike of Provincial Road 323, from Km32+550 to Km30+800. This landslide section is about 100m long, eating into the foot of the dike nearly 8m, directly threatening the safety of the dike and the lives of people on both banks.

In Zone 7 (former Le My Commune), landslides occurred on both sides of the Dau stream and Chanh stream gates. Rising river water caused the slope to collapse, sweeping away dozens of tons of wood and bamboo belonging to businesses and people gathering near the shore.

Mr. Le Xuan Hoa, Vice Chairman of Phu My Commune People's Committee, Phu My Commune, said that immediately after the landslide occurred, the commune authorities inspected the level of landslides in each area to take timely measures. For serious landslides, the commune has made a report to the Department of Agriculture and Environment for timely measures. Currently, the river water level has decreased, but the commune still directs relevant professional departments to closely monitor the water level of Lo River, put up warning signs, and regularly patrol landslide areas to warn people...

According to preliminary statistics, the entire Dan Chu commune currently has nearly 1 km of seriously eroded riverbank, while Phu My commune also has more than 4 large and small landslides, with a total length of hundreds of meters. Every time there is heavy rain, the river water rises and flows rapidly, dozens of households living along the river are afraid, even having to evacuate to ensure safety.

Localities have been actively implementing the “four on-site” plan: on-site command, on-site forces, on-site means and on-site logistics; mobilizing militia, commune police, and youth union members to support people in landslide areas. However, the recovery has only stopped at a temporary level, while the root cause of erosion and the rapid flow of the Lo River has not been controlled.

Leaders of Dan Chu and Phu My communes said that people want Phu Tho province and relevant departments and branches to soon survey and invest in an emergency project to prevent riverbank erosion, especially at vulnerable sections near residential areas and dikes. In addition, they also hope that superiors will consider supporting funding to relocate households in dangerous areas to ensure safety of life and property...

During the inspection and direction of the response and recovery work for storm No. 10 in Dan Chu commune on October 1, Chairman of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee Tran Duy Dong directed the local authorities to immediately deploy measures to ensure safety for local residents, especially when the Lo River water recedes, the risk of landslides is very high, and households at risk of landslides must be immediately evacuated to a safe place before October 1. The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to coordinate with the Department of Construction to review the landslide area, evaluate the overall plan to deploy riverbank embankments, and urgently handle landslides on the right bank of the Lo River dike from km36+500 to km37+350 in Dan Chu commune.

While waiting for the authorities to deal with the landslide situation on the banks of the Lo River in Dan Chu and Phu My communes, dozens of households here are still living in fear every day that the land under their feet could collapse at any moment. The pleas for "the banks to be re-embanked soon" resound as a legitimate wish, because only when the river is tamed, can people feel secure in building a sustainable life along the gentle Lo River.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/can-xu-ly-ngay-tinh-trang-sat-lo-nghiem-trong-ven-song-lo-20251009161424844.htm