Consecutive landslides on river banks and canals in An Giang province

At around 9am on May 22, a crack of about 20m appeared on the bank of Ong Chuong canal in Long Dinh hamlet, Long Kien commune, Cho Moi district, close to the edge of DT946. In this crack area, there is a solidly built house but it is at risk of collapsing into Ong Chuong canal. This area is under the landslide warning of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of An Giang province.

On the same day, at group 3, An Thi hamlet, An Thanh Trung commune, Cho Moi district, a sudden subsidence occurred at Cai Ho estuary road with a length of about 30m, eating into half of the road centerline, the subsidence was about 0.8m deep.

Scene of the landslide in An Phu hamlet, An Hoa commune, Chau Thanh district, An Giang province on May 21.

The day before, at around 8am on May 21, in An Phu hamlet, An Hoa commune, Chau Thanh district, a landslide occurred on a rural asphalt road about 50m long, cutting into almost the entire road surface (4-5m depending on the section), close to the foundation of houses. At the scene, the landslide area had 7 houses, and people are still living in these houses. The eroded road still has about 0.7m of asphalt surface to the foot of the houses, with a difference of 1m lower than the surrounding area. This area uses iron mesh as a barrier across the beginning of the road, but people still walk through here.

More seriously, on May 18, in Long Quoi 2 hamlet, Long Dien B commune, Cho Moi district, a landslide occurred on the riverbank, affecting 10 houses. The landslide was in the Ong Chuong canal area, on Provincial Road 946, in Long Dien B commune, about 100m downstream from Tra Thon bridge. The landslide was about 70m long, eroded about 3m, the section at risk of being affected was about 200m long and affected 10 houses, of which 6 fell into the river, with an estimated total damage of about 2 billion VND, fortunately causing no human casualties.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Cho Moi district, the whole district has 150 landslides, 6,893m long, that have not been reinforced with a total estimated cost of about 160 billion VND.

Regarding the cause of the landslide on Ong Chuong canal bank on May 18, Mr. Cu Minh Trong, Chairman of Cho Moi District People's Committee, said that due to the influence of the flow, this section of the river has many sharp bends, and is often affected by large-capacity boats and ships passing by. This section had a 30m landslide at the end of May 2023, and has not been included in the landslide warning of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment. Cho Moi District People's Committee has updated it to include it in the landslide monitoring list and estimated the cost of repair.

According to records, Ong Chuong canal connects Tien and Hau rivers, 23km long, flowing through Cho Moi district. This is also a section where landslides often occur, with a high degree of curvature, the section where landslides occur right at a sharp bend. According to Mr. Tran Minh Nhut, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of An Giang province, the initial cause was determined to be due to the impact of the flow, the location of the landslide right at the curve of the river, canal, plus the impact of waterway vehicles and the load of construction works on the road.

Mr. Ngo Cong Thuc, Vice Chairman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee, said that through a survey of the landslide in Long Quoi 2 Hamlet, Long Dien B Commune, Cho Moi District, the landslide situation is serious. The Vice Chairman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee requested the Department of Construction and the Department of Agriculture and Environment to survey and re-evaluate the situation to find solutions to handle and overcome the landslide in the short and long term, especially during the rainy season, to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. In particular, functional agencies, organizations, and local authorities urgently take care of the welfare of affected households and quickly coordinate to consider supporting resettled households.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/doi-song/lien-tiep-xay-ra-sat-lo-bo-song-kenh-rach-tren-dia-ban-tinh-an-giang-i769350/