Welding iron stakes to protect water pipes causes traffic safety problems on Na Hoi - Nam Mon

In order to prevent passing vehicles from damaging water pipes, but not realizing the danger, local people have arbitrarily welded iron stakes on the roadway of Na Hoi - Nam Mon - Coc Ly, causing traffic insecurity.

Recently, many people in Bac Ha district have been upset and worried about the danger they face when traveling on the road from National Highway 4E (old Provincial Road 153) to Nam Mon and Coc Ly communes, because local people have welded iron poles 10cm to 15cm long into water pipes on the road, which can puncture a tire if someone accidentally drives into it.

Following the instructions of the locals, we went to the road section passing through Nhiu Lung village, Na Hoi commune to record the current situation. As soon as they saw our car coming, some passersby warned us to go inside the embankment because outside there were many places where iron stakes protruded that could puncture the tires.

Sharp iron stakes are ready to pierce any tire of any vehicle that accidentally runs over them.

According to the reporter's observation, wherever there are steel water pipes protruding above the road surface, people will weld steel stakes with a diameter of 10mm and a height of 10cm to 15cm. In some places, after welding the iron stakes, people will place a stone as a warning, helping drivers avoid going into them, but there are also places where the iron stakes lie in the middle of the road.

Ms. Vang Thi T. - a fruit seller in Nhiu Lung village, Na Hoi commune said: Recently, many cars passing through here have had their tires punctured because they ran into iron poles. Some people took pictures and posted them on social media to warn other drivers passing through here and asked the authorities to intervene. However, so far no one has come to handle the situation.

Talking to reporters, some local residents said that in order to warn cars not to run over the water pipeline of an irrigation project serving irrigation for some villages in Na Hoi and Nam Mon communes, some people had arbitrarily welded these iron poles because the pipeline had been damaged many times before by cars running over it. However, when reporters asked which village people had welded the iron poles, they all shook their heads and said, "I don't know (!?)".

Mr. Sung Sinh in Lang Muong village, Nam Mon commune expressed concern about the danger of iron stakes lying on the roadway.

Pointing to the iron stakes protruding from the road, Mr. Sung Sinh - a resident of Lang Muong village, Nam Mon commune, worriedly said: These iron stakes appeared at the end of April 2024. I ride my motorbike here every day and find it too dangerous, but I don't know what to do.

“This is a road that is often foggy, so if people from other places drive here without observing carefully, it is very easy to drive into places with iron poles and will definitely get a flat tire,” said Mr. Sung Sinh.

Talking to reporters about the fact that people arbitrarily welded iron stakes above water pipes located on the roadway, causing traffic safety problems, Mr. Giang Seo Nha, Chairman of Nam Mon Commune People's Committee, said: This is a road connecting National Highway 4E to the center of Nam Mon Commune, however, the first section belongs to Na Hoi Commune and currently the local government has not yet grasped the information about who organized the welding of these iron stakes.

According to Mr. Nha, there is currently an irrigation project using steel pipes buried under the roadbed from National Highway 4E to the commune center to carry water from the source to Co De Chai village. Because the road has been in use for many years, it has degraded and damaged, some sections of the roadbed have been eroded, exposing the steel pipes. Perhaps because they wanted to protect the steel pipes carrying water, people have arbitrarily welded iron stakes to warn drivers to avoid the pipes. "This is a spontaneous act that endangers people and vehicles traveling on this road. We will coordinate with the district authorities to inspect, clarify and handle it immediately to ensure traffic safety," said Mr. Nha.

The iron stakes welded on water pipes like spikes can pierce vehicle tires.

According to the representative of the Economic - Infrastructure Department of Bac Ha district, the inter-commune road of Na Hoi - Nam Mon - Coc Ly is over 10km long and has deteriorated after many years of use. The district is currently planning to upgrade and repair the road. The act of people arbitrarily welding iron stakes to protect steel water pipes on the road is against regulations. Immediately, the department will work with local authorities to come up with a solution to handle and fix the problem to ensure the safety of people's travel.

The route connecting National Highway 4E (Provincial Road 153) to Nam Mon and Coc Ly communes is an important route for transporting goods, materials and serving the travel of people in the area. Every day, the number of vehicles traveling on this route is quite large, so to ensure traffic safety, Bac Ha district and the authorities of Na Hoi and Nam Mon communes need to urgently remove the iron stakes illegally welded by people on the roadway and have solutions to maintain and protect the steel water pipeline for the Co De Chai irrigation project so that people can rest assured and not take actions that cause traffic insecurity.

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