Unease along the rivers in southern Lam Dong

Photo caption — Both banks of the Dong Nai River passing through Thong Nhat and Dang Ha communes (Bu Dang district) and Lam Dong province have suffered serious erosion due to sand mining activities. Photo: VNA

Some villages have lost tens of hectares of perennial crop land, and some families have lost their orchards of valuable fruit trees such as durian, green-skinned grapefruit, and cocoa. There are many causes, both natural and man-made. However, although people have reported the situation to local authorities at all levels many times, there has been no solution to this situation.

Lost the whole cocoa garden

Present at Hamlet 3, Cat Tien 2 Commune on the last day of September, VNA reporters witnessed a very sad scene, when a cocoa garden full of fruit right at harvest time was gradually eroding into the Dong Nai River, with a height from the garden to the river surface of nearly 10m. The landslide was only about 10m away from the inter-village road from the commune center to Phuoc Thai, Hamlet 3, and Hamlet 4. At that rate of erosion, in just a few rainy seasons this only road is at risk of being swallowed by the river. Currently, the Cat Tien 2 Commune authorities have put up ropes to warn people not to enter the landslide area.

Mr. Phung Van Nham, 60 years old, the owner of the above garden, said that this landslide happened 2 years ago. His family lost about 3,000 square meters of land with "red books", mainly cocoa gardens. The cause of the landslide was a hydroelectric plant located right above on the other bank (in the old Binh Phuoc province, now Dong Nai) filling in the land, building embankments to straighten the river for some kind of project, causing the river to change direction to this side. In the rainy season of 2023, the owner of the hydroelectric plant compensated his family 32 million VND, equal to 80% of the damage value. This rainy season, there has been a serious landslide, but he has not yet filed a compensation request because the garden land is still eroding into the river. His family is worried about the above situation, the car road in front and his house will soon be swallowed by this river...

Upstream of that river section, Phuoc Thai village (Cat Tien 2 commune) is also experiencing landslides at some points along the riverbank along the road leading to the village, making people very worried. Local people said that in previous years, many sand mining ships operated in this section of the river. Now the local government has stopped issuing licenses, but some sand mining ships still come to this section of the river to anchor. I wonder if they will continue to mine sand in the future?

A village lost up to 20 hectares due to landslides.

Village 19, Da Teh 2 Commune is one of the localities that has suffered the most land damage due to landslides during the rainy season. From 1995 to now, this village has lost about 20 hectares of riverside land due to the water being taken away. Many families who lost their homes had to move further inland or go to live elsewhere. Many registered households are still in the village, but they have not returned for a long time due to lack of land for cultivation. Village 19, Da Teh 2 Commune currently has 84 households, over 240 people. People live on agricultural production on the banks of the Da Huoai River. Previously, people belonged to Nam Cat Tien Commune, Dong Nai Province, in 1999 the village was established and belonged to Lam Dong Province.

Taking a VNA reporter around the landslide area along the Da Huoai River, a branch of the Dong Nai River that is muddy due to floodwaters, Mr. Pham Van Phong, Head of the Front Work Committee of Village 19, pointed to a row of trees far away on the other side of the river (in Dong Nai province) and lamented: Previously, the river bank was on that side. Due to the terrain, the river flowing through here bends and pushes straight into the middle of the village, causing this landslide. From 1995 to now, the whole village has lost about 20 hectares of both garden and residential land. Every time they meet with voters at all levels, the villagers make recommendations, and the government leaders take note, but so far there has been no solution to protect the land area for local people.

On this river bank, reporters witnessed grapefruit and durian trees that were bearing fruit being eroded, half falling into the riverbed, the other half stuck on the bank. Mr. Tuong Duy Thuong, born in 1960, the owner of this green-skin grapefruit garden that is being harvested, recounted: Since his family bought this land in 1997 until now, his family alone has lost about 2 hectares of land. Dozens of households have also lost land like his family. Some have registered residence in village 19, but the land has moved deep into the other side of the river. There have been a number of disputes when people on this side of the river (in Lam Dong province) go to the other side of the river (in Dong Nai province) to claim the land, because based on the coordinates, this land belongs to them. But based on the watershed, that location belongs to another province.

There are still many problems

Regarding the landslide situation in Cat Tien 2 commune, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Lich, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said that more than a month ago, the Commune People's Committee received information about the landslide situation reported by the Village Chiefs. The Commune sent specialized department staff to inspect and determined that there was a landslide situation. One location in Village 3 lost about 2,000 - 3,000 m2 of land with barns and gardens of the people. Along the riverbank in Phuoc Thai village, there is a phenomenon of continued landslides. Previously, this area was licensed to exploit minerals under the riverbed, but now it has stopped because the license has expired. The Commune authorities have organized to put up ropes to warn people of danger. Currently, the landslide situation has stopped. But the long-term fundamental measure is to build an embankment to prevent landslides.

Also according to the leader of the People's Committee of Cat Tien 2 commune, about a week ago, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Nai province sent a document to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lam Dong province requesting coordination and licensing of mineral exploitation (sand, gravel) under the riverbed to build key projects of the two provinces, because this area does not have any valid mining licenses. The professional agencies of the two provinces have surveyed along the Dong Nai river, determining that there are many landslide locations on both sides, both old and new. If the local authorities of the two provinces continue to license mineral exploitation under the riverbed, the People's Committee of the commune will propose to invest in building embankments along the riverbank at the above locations.

However, the construction of this embankment is a very complicated project, with a very large investment cost, beyond the authority of the commune level. Previously, there was a landslide on the Dong Nai river bank. The People's Committee of Cat Tien district (old) invested in building an anti-erosion embankment, which was very expensive, but now there is a phenomenon of continued landslides even though the project has just been completed and has not been handed over yet.

According to the leader of the People's Committee of Da Teh 2 commune, in the face of the current landslide situation, the local government is surveying the agricultural land area of people in village 19 that has been eroded to conduct an assessment and have specific plans to prevent and combat riverbank landslides...

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/noi-bat-an-ben-nhung-dong-song-phia-nam-lam-dong-20251003132418881.htm