People in the Thach Han river basin are on high alert for floods.

Photo caption — Many houses in Trieu Binh commune were flooded. Photo: Tuong Vi/VNA

Thach Han is one of the largest rivers in Quang Tri province with a length of 155 km and a large basin area of 2,727 km2. The Thach Han River flows into the sea at Cua Viet. The downstream Thach Han River basin is a low-lying plain. Therefore, the downstream Thach Han River basin in the communes and wards of Quang Tri, Trieu Binh, Trieu Phong, and Ai Tu is often flooded. From downstream to upstream, Thach Han is characterized by being short and steep, so floods rise very quickly whenever there is heavy rain upstream.

On the morning of November 4, the flood level on the Thach Han River gradually decreased to 0.41m above the alert level 2, but the coastal areas were still quite deeply flooded. According to the reporter of VNA, many low-lying residential areas along the Thach Han River in the communes of Ai Tu, Trieu Binh... were flooded from 0.3 - 0.7m.

There are more than 3 months left until the Lunar New Year 2026. Therefore, people living along the Thach Han River are in the season of raising pigs and chickens to supply the Tet market. For Mr. Le Ba Han, Bich Loc Trieu village, Ai Tu commune as well as other people living along the downstream of the Thach Han River, floods happen every year, peaking in October and November every year, so people often call it the flood season, the only difference is that some years the floods are big, some years the floods are small. Floods are not unfamiliar to people here, but that does not make people lose their vigilance.

As soon as there was heavy rain at the end of October, Mr. Han proactively placed his belongings and food reserves on high ground to avoid flooding. His family also stored a lot of vegetables, banana trees and bran ground from corn, potatoes, etc. to feed the chickens and more than 10 pigs they were raising, in case the flood lasted for a long time and they could not find food. Mr. Han also planned for big floods early on, when he built a pig pen 1.5m above the ground to avoid flooding.

Mr. Han shared that living along the Thach Han River, he is used to floods, but his family has never been complacent. In recent days, the family has taken turns keeping watch over the flood level at night. When the flood rises, they move people and property to higher ground, and when the flood recedes, they clean up and wash away mud. To ensure safety, the family built a house with a second floor to move to when there is a big flood. The pig and chicken pens are also built high to avoid floods.

Also living along the Thach Han River, Mr. Doan Le, Trieu Binh Commune, shared that in addition to moving belongings and assets to higher ground to avoid floods, his family also prepared enough food, drinking water and essential items for many days; at the same time, continuously monitored flood warning bulletins on mainstream media to proactively prevent them.

When there are floods, local authorities in low-lying areas along the Thach Han River also temporarily put aside all work to focus on flood prevention and control with the highest priority being to ensure people's safety; not to let people go hungry, cold and reduce property damage. In recent days, due to the impact of heavy rain, many inter-village roads in Trieu Binh commune have been deeply flooded, many households in low-lying areas have had water flooding into their houses; some locations are deeply flooded on roads through the commune such as National Highway 49 C, Provincial Road 578 B, and Highway 46, many sections are flooded 0.7m deep.

Chairman of Trieu Binh Commune People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Vu said that when there is a flood, the top priority of the government is flood prevention and control; proactively deploying response plans, reviewing residential areas at risk of deep flooding and landslides, ensuring the safety of people's lives and property. Arrange forces to be on duty 24/7, checking the dyke system, drainage culverts, river banks; at the same time, advising people not to go fishing, collect firewood or move through flooded areas when the water level rises.

The banks of the Thach Han River passing through Ai Tu Commune (formerly Trieu Giang and Trieu Long Communes) are often eroded. The area overflowing through Tra Lien Village is one of the first places to be flooded when the Thach Han River rises. A representative of the People's Committee of Ai Tu Commune said that the authorities always arrange forces to be on duty at key points to promptly detect floodwaters causing flooding, landslides on river banks, and road embankments. Therefore, when floods and landslides occur, warning signs and traffic bans are always placed promptly to ensure people's safety.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/nguoi-dan-vung-luu-vuc-song-thach-han-canh-giac-cao-do-voi-lu-20251104125242383.htm