Lao Cai strives to restore infrastructure and stabilize production

The recent floods, especially the circulation of storm No. 10, have caused severe damage to infrastructure and agricultural production in Lao Cai. The whole province has 488 damaged irrigation works with an estimated loss of 168 billion VND, along with nearly 50 billion VND in traffic infrastructure. Although the initial damage has been temporarily overcome, the "scars" of natural disasters on the infrastructure system are still very severe, requiring large resources for complete recovery.

Traffic damage of 49,832 billion VND. That is the number reflecting the terrible devastation of natural disasters: 1,358 locations of positive slope landslides (burying 333,086 m³ of earth and rock), 89 locations of negative slope landslides causing the roadbed to collapse.

Son Luong commune mobilized vehicles and machinery to restore roads affected by storms and rains.

This situation has caused many communes to be seriously isolated, especially in Son Luong and Mo Vang communes... Immediately after the natural disaster, the "4 on-site" motto was activated.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Thanh - Secretary of the Party Committee of Son Luong Commune recalled: "The situation at that time was extremely urgent, 3 houses were completely washed away, Lang Manh and Giang Pang villages were isolated. The Party Committee directed the top priority to rescue people and clear the road, mobilize all forces, hire excavators to reach the village as quickly as possible, and provide emergency support of 245 million VND so that households whose houses collapsed could rebuild their houses soon."

Up to now, after more than a month, the basic routes have been opened to motorbikes, but long-term challenges still remain. In Tan Hop commune, where major routes such as Dai Son - Na Hau were buried under thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock, travel is still very difficult.

Mr. Ha Trung Kien - Chairman of Tan Hop Commune People's Committee, said: "The landslide volume is too large while local resources are limited. The commune has mobilized maximum human and material resources to clear the route in step 1. We have compiled the report and hope that the province will soon support us to completely fix the problem, restore trade, and ensure safety for the people."

People of Son Luong commune participated in temporarily repairing the inter-village road from Giang Pang to Lang Manh.

Similarly, in Phong Du Thuong commune, temporary solutions have been implemented, but concerns remain because floods can still strike unexpectedly. Mr. Hoang Van Khoa - Vice Chairman of Phong Du Thuong Commune People's Committee, shared: "In the short term, the commune has put up warning signs and leveled small areas. However, in the long term, the commune requests the province to soon provide funding to repair and upgrade bridges and culverts to ensure safety for people, especially students."

Many canals and irrigation systems in localities were damaged and buried due to the impact of storms and rains.

If the transport infrastructure is broken once, the irrigation system - the "blood vessel" of agricultural production, is paralyzed ten times. Storm No. 10 alone damaged 424 irrigation works and 16 pumping stations.

In Au Lau ward, Doan Ket dam suffered serious landslides at 8 points. In Nam Cuong ward, the entire water channel was buried deep under mud. In Vo Lao commune, 11 irrigation works were severely damaged, with estimated damage of more than 1 billion VND.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc - Vice Chairman of Vo Lao Commune People's Committee, worried: "The solution of using plastic pipes or manually dredging is only a temporary solution. After more than 1 month, we have completed the review and summary of the damage. The commune has reported directly to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, and submitted to the Department of Finance to request a thorough solution. People cannot produce stably if they only rely on these temporary canals."

Restoring the irrigation system is not only an urgent task but also a strategic one, ensuring food security for the upcoming production seasons. The units managing and exploiting the project are racing against time, completing documents and estimates to completely fix the damage as soon as possible.

Ms. To Phuong Dung - Deputy Director of Tan Phu Company Limited, said: "Immediately after the storm, we mobilized all our forces to temporarily fix the problem. Up to now, all documents and damage estimates have been completed and sent to the authorities. The company's goal is to coordinate closely to soon receive capital, firmly restore the canal system, and ensure safe and stable irrigation water for the upcoming crop."

At the macro level, Lao Cai Department of Agriculture and Environment closely coordinates with localities, directs units to exploit and repair canal systems, and mobilizes maximum resources, including support from Resolution 08/2023/NQ-HDND of the Provincial People's Council, to overcome the consequences of natural disasters.

Roads and bridges were temporarily restored to serve people's travel needs.

However, the scale of damage far exceeds the locality's ability to balance. The total estimated capital needed to completely repair irrigation works in the whole province is up to 181,4788 billion VND. Of which, Lao Cai province requested the central budget to support 164,011 billion VND; the remaining amount (17,466 billion VND) will be mobilized from local budget sources.

More than a month after the floods, life in affected areas in Lao Cai has basically returned to normal, but the infrastructure “scars” are still evident. Local efforts have resolved most of the urgent problems, but the complete restoration of the transport and irrigation systems will require large resources from the central government. The stability of production and the long-term safety of the people depend directly on the progress of this solid reconstruction.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/lao-cai-no-luc-khoi-phuc-cac-cong-trinh-ha-tang-on-dinh-san-xuat-post886318.html