As a locality with many residential areas located in high-risk landslide zones, for many years, the mountainous district of Muong Lat ( Thanh Hoa province) has been the focus of the province's efforts to develop plans for the construction of 8 resettlement areas for its residents. However, to date, 6 out of 8 resettlement areas have yet to be implemented.
Resettlement areas… only on paper.
Sitting in his house built right on the right bank of the Ma River during the rainy season, with its swirling red waves, Mr. Ma Van Su (a resident of Xa Lung village, Muong Ly commune, Muong Lat district) said: This house is currently home to eight members of his family. Because it was built a long time ago, after each flood, more cracks appear in the house, so he doesn't know when it will collapse.
“It’s not just my family here, but nearly 70 other households in the village need to be relocated and resettled because we live in a high-risk landslide area. Whenever it rains heavily and for an extended period, everyone has to take turns staying up all night to watch for landslides… Since 2018, the government has announced that the entire village must move to a new location, and we have been very hopeful and waiting. But now, more than six years later, the Xa Lung resettlement area is still not completed,” said Mr. Su.
It is known that Xa Lung village currently has 67 households, with hundreds of people of the Mong ethnic group living there. The residents live in constant anxiety whenever floods occur. Due to its difficult geographical location, the village still lacks access to the national power grid. Their greatest wish is to be resettled in a new location and have electricity so they can live and develop their economy with peace of mind.
Speaking to the press, Mr. Ha Van Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Ly commune, said that according to Resolution 276 dated July 13, 2022, of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Council, there is a plan to invest in a project to resettle and stabilize the population of 67 households in Xa Lung village with a total investment of no more than 20.1 billion VND. The investment capital comes from the provincial budget, while the land clearance costs are paid by the district. Although the Resolution sets a completion date of 2024, after many years, this resettlement project has still not been implemented due to numerous obstacles.
Lack of capital
The Xa Lung resettlement area is just one of nearly 10 resettlement projects for ethnic minorities in high-risk landslide areas in Muong Lat district. According to information from the Muong Lat District People's Committee: In the period from 2021 to 2025, the entire district has 753 households subject to relocation and resettlement under the Project for arranging and stabilizing the population in areas at high risk of flash floods and landslides. Besides mixed and adjacent resettlement, the locality has also developed plans to build 8 concentrated resettlement areas. However, to date, only 1 area has been completed and is operational, 1 area remains unfinished and its completion date is unknown, and the remaining 6 areas are currently stalled in construction.
The People's Committee of Muong Lat district is proposing to the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province to review and adjust several aspects, such as relocating the construction sites of concentrated and adjacent resettlement areas to ensure they are suitable for available funding, safe, and to include additional households in the new resettlement areas or those who are not included in the resettlement areas.
Mr. Luong Van Liem, Deputy Director of the Project Management Board of Muong Lat District, said: According to the review, there are currently 7 resettlement areas under investment, of which about half are facing difficulties. The reason is the complex mountainous terrain; when implementing the project, the district is required to level the ground, excavate mountains, and build embankments to ensure safety before construction can begin. This leads to the inability to proceed with construction due to limited total investment and lack of funding.
Speaking with a reporter from Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Mr. Cao Van Cuong, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Hoa province, said: The main reason for the slow implementation of resettlement projects is that during the survey process, the local authorities did not accurately assess the actual situation and the difficulties that arose, especially the lack of funding for project implementation.
“To resolve the difficulties, we have coordinated with relevant departments and agencies and reported to the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, proposing support options for a resettlement area currently under construction. For the relocation assistance, Thanh Hoa province will use funds from its budget. For land clearance, the province will also use funds from its budget… However, these are only temporary solutions. In the long term, in order for the Muong Lat District People's Committee to quickly build resettlement areas to help people relocate to safe places, the province still needs a mechanism to adjust investment capital for each specific resettlement area,” Mr. Cuong added.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/mon-moi-cho-tai-dinh-cu-10293473.html
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