Resettlement area in Ca Mau surrounded by floodwater for four years

Not a flood zone, but in the Ca Mau river area, there is a place where people often face floods, like "living with floods". That is the common situation in the Kenh Tu resettlement area, located in Lung Tram hamlet, Khanh Hung commune, Ca Mau province.

We found our way to Kenh Tu resettlement area amidst the high tide in Ca Mau, which was raging on the full moon day of the 9th lunar month, when the boundary between the road and the river was blurred. The only concrete road of nearly 2km into this residential area has now become a river.

Rowing the boat to take us, Mr. Nguyen Van Duc could only sigh: “Every year, the water floods for more than 3 months, lasting from August to December of the lunar calendar. The water sometimes rises up to 0.8m above the road surface. We cannot bring our vehicles home, we have to leave them on the main road, our hearts are always uneasy, afraid of losing them.”

Unable to bear the frequent flooding, many households in Kenh Tu had to leave their homes and their hometowns to work far away. Those who stayed, like Mr. Vo Hoang Sa, could not hide their indignation, saying: “Cars cannot run, trees cannot survive. The only way to end this situation is to raise the road surface and widen the drainage system.”

Mr. Ho Song Toan, Chairman of Khanh Hung Commune People's Committee, admitted that it is necessary to raise the road surface by at least 0.5m to solve the above flooding situation. However, after many petitions, the answer that the commune government received was still "no capital", making the dream of a dry road, of a truly "settled" place still not come true...

Where does this paradox in the resettlement area come from? Both the people and the government point out the cause: The entire nearly 2km road in the area is sunken, lower than the surrounding area. When it rains heavily or the tide is high, the water cannot drain out to sea in time, partly because the Trum Thuat sluice does not operate effectively.

The unique concrete road to Kenh Tu resettlement area has now become a "sea of ​​water", with travel mainly by boat.

Unable to travel by motorbike, more than 160 households in the community have to row boats on the concrete road to take their children to school, to go to the market to buy vegetables, fish, etc. The above situation is not temporary but has been repeated for the past 4 years, turning the hope of a new, stable life to settle down into an uneasy "sigh".

People in Kenh Tu use boats for daily travel activities.

Floods often surround the area so people have to keep essential items high and live in flooded conditions.

Children in Kenh Tu residential area can freely play and splash in the water during high tide season, when the road in front of their houses turns into a river.

Flood water surrounds the entire Kenh Tu Resettlement Area, usually lasting from August to December of the lunar calendar every year.

Residents of Kenh Tu resettlement area are worried about having their vehicles stolen when they leave their vehicles on the main road because they cannot drive into their homes.

The pumping system at Truong Thuat sluice operates continuously, but the pumped water flows into the inland area because Truong Thuat sluice cannot be closed.

On October 31, 2023, the Office of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province issued Notice (urgent) No. 3449/TB-VP, conveying the conclusion of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee after inspecting a number of works and projects in U Minh and Tran Van Thoi districts (old) of Ca Mau province.

In content No. 8 on upgrading and repairing infrastructure of Kenh Tu resettlement area, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mau (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau) to preside over and coordinate with local authorities to determine the investment scale and estimate construction costs through the Department of Planning and Investment to advise the Provincial People's Committee to consider and resolve according to regulations. The results of the implementation of the conclusions must be reported to the Provincial People's Committee in November 2023.

HUU TUNG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/khu-tai-dinh-cu-o-ca-mau-bon-nam-bi-bua-vay-giua-bien-nuoc-post921612.html