After the peak days of floods, the fierce "waves" have now temporarily subsided. The authorities and people of the affected localities in the province are working hard to overcome the consequences and stabilize their lives. Particularly in the La Nga "basin" area, people in Duc Linh and Tanh Linh districts still believe that the peaceful and fertile countryside will soon revive after many times they have suffered the consequences of natural disasters...
Always ready to "welcome" the flood
During the peak days of floods in late July and early August 2023, at the Standing Office of Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Tanh Linh district, all staff were assigned to be on duty at the grassroots level to support people in overcoming the consequences and counting the damage.
After 12 noon, we, along with Mr. Mai Tri Man - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tanh Linh district (standing unit) and a few professional staff, went to the heavily flooded area to grasp the situation. Mr. Man said that currently, the communes are actively helping people clean up their deeply flooded houses and clear canals. For rural and intra-field traffic routes that were eroded and damaged, the district has instructed the communes to temporarily repair them to ensure the travel needs of the people... As soon as the flood occurred, Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuoc - Vice Chairman of Tanh Linh District People's Committee requested localities to focus on responding to the flood according to the "4 on-site" motto. At the same time, he advised people not to go through areas at risk of landslides, rolling rocks...
Why does the La Nga riverside area of Binh Thuan often experience heavy rain, tornadoes, flash floods, and lightning strikes compared to other localities? This question was shared with us by Mr. Nguyen Hung Tan - Chief of Office of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue: The climate in Duc Linh and Tanh Linh belongs to the Central Highlands sub-region, so it rains a lot. The La Nga "basin" area is swept along the hillsides by winds causing strong winds and tornadoes, leading to frequent thunderstorms, lightning, and the most rain in the province. On the other hand, the river network in Binh Thuan is mainly small rivers. Therefore, when heavy rain is concentrated, floods will occur with rapid increase in intensity, causing damage to production and life in the river basins.
According to information from the provincial Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, recently, flash floods have been a dangerous natural disaster that often causes damage to people and property of the State and people in Binh Thuan. The damage caused by flash floods every year amounts to tens of billions of VND, especially the historic flash flood in 1999 that caused nearly 200 billion VND in damage, killing and missing 27 people, of which the most severely damaged were the riverside areas and La Gi town, Ham Tan district (now La Gi town). In the midlands and delta of La Nga river, the vegetation is sparsely forested and a significant area has been cleared and converted to agricultural land for growing rice and industrial crops, the regulating capacity of the basin is good. However, there are low-lying areas that are often threatened by floods; some small branches of streams and streams that flow into La Nga river have experienced localized flash floods in some years.
Recovering from disaster
Returning to the places where the flood had just passed: Duc Linh and Tanh Linh... in early August 2023, the flood water on La Nga River and many other localities in the province had receded, but the afternoon rain was still drizzling. The rainy season was still at its peak. The water on La Nga River was still muddy. The damage and heavy loss of people, houses, property and structures after the flood could not be measured.
For "old farmers" like Mr. Hung and Mr. Hong in Lac Tanh town (Tanh Linh), despite the great loss, they still have faith and an optimistic outlook: After the storm and flood, the sky will be bright again. The mountains, forests, villages, and fields in the lowlands of the La Nga River will revive. In their experienced eyes, the La Nga River was still fierce yesterday and the day before, but now it seems to have calmed down, still flowing tirelessly but more hesitantly and slowly. Every year, the La Nga River still transfers water from upstream, depositing alluvium for the rice fields and crops. The flood recedes, leaving behind a layer of lush alluvium, which will help farmers harvest a more bountiful new crop. Thinking of that, the people who spend all year long in the "basin" of the La Nga River feel comforted by the past losses.
“After the storm and flood, the sky is clear again. Mountains, forests, villages, and fields in the La Nga river basin are revived” - “old farmers” like Mr. Hung and Mr. Hong acknowledge.
“In a few days, when the water recedes and the sun rises, I and the members of the cooperative will plow and dry the land to prepare for the new crop, hoping for a good harvest,” said Mr. Ho Quang Hung, Director of Lac Tanh Cooperative. Mr. Hung also did not forget to send his wishes that the State and local authorities create maximum conditions to support farmers and cooperatives to rebuild and continue production. On the other side of the La Nga River, the family of Mr. Tran Binh Trong - Village 2, Dong Kho Commune is taking the opportunity to check the remaining bran that has not been washed away by the flood. “My wife and I only hope to receive support for damage, breeding stock, and that the bank will allow debt forgiveness so that we have the motivation to start over.” At the same time, hundreds of households affected by floods in the districts are also cleaning up their houses and fields to stabilize their lives.
Witnessing many annual floods in Binh Thuan, we often wonder: With the special natural conditions and complex hydrometeorological developments here, could it be that the consequences of deforestation in some localities have increased floods, especially flash floods and landslides? The most recent was a serious landslide at Bao Loc Pass (Lam Dong), with many landslides and trees on National Highway 55 through Da Mi Commune (Ham Thuan Bac) and La Ngau Commune (Tanh Linh), causing traffic congestion on the Phan Thiet - Bao Loc route. Faced with the complicated developments of floods, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Hong Hai requested localities to promptly and safely overcome the consequences of landslides and floods. Quickly visit, encourage and support families with victims, deeply flooded houses, and households with crop damage due to flooding.
Provincial leaders requested that it is necessary to assess and determine specific causes to gain experience in leadership and direction, promptly summarize damages and propose support and remedies according to regulations... Meanwhile, according to the warning of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, rain in the Central Highlands, the South, and the South Central regions is likely to last for many days to come.
The flood has temporarily subsided, the La Nga River has temporarily stopped making waves, bringing peace back to the people here. Although there are still many worries ahead, with the perseverance, patience and willingness to overcome difficulties of the people in the flooded areas, along with the strong direction, cooperation and joint efforts of the authorities at all levels, we believe that the place where the flood has passed will certainly revive. The La Nga River will be peaceful again, meandering gently, bringing alluvium and cool water to the people forever...
According to initial statistics of the Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, in the flood season at the end of July 2023, the whole province had 2 deaths, with damage of about 66 billion VND to houses, rice, crops, livestock, traffic works... Of which, Tanh Linh district estimated damage of over 60 billion VND; Ham Thuan Bac over 5 billion VND; Duc Linh district over 250 million VND; Ham Thuan Nam over 450 million VND; Ham Tan 295 million VND.
Lesson 1: When La Nga makes waves
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