Roads in the U Minh Thuong buffer zone, which were damaged by landslides nearly two years ago, are being urgently repaired. Photo: THUY TIEN
The worries remain.
Nearly two years have passed since the serious landslide in the U Minh Thuong buffer zone, but the local residents are still fearful. Ms. Thi Hanh, a resident of Kenh 5 hamlet, U Minh Thuong commune, recounted: “Around 5 a.m. in April 2024, while I was sleeping, I heard a loud noise. I ran out and saw a long section of Provincial Road 965 had collapsed into the canal, reaching deep into my house. I was so scared I told my family to get out of the house.”
According to Ms. Hanh, it wasn't raining heavily that night, yet the road collapsed unexpectedly. After the landslide, the road continued to collapse further, forcing residents to run onto the veranda of her house. "At night, hearing the noise of people running past, I was startled, afraid my house would collapse," Ms. Hanh said. Many residents whose houses are located right in the landslide area said that everything happened so quickly, they didn't have time to react, and most of their accumulated possessions were damaged.
A survey of the Hai Canal road (south bank), Trung Doan hamlet, U Minh Thuong commune, revealed many sections that were temporarily patched up and repaired, showing signs of wear and tear over time. In sections where the road has collapsed or broken, the authorities have opened temporary, winding roads to allow traffic flow. In some places, the road surface is so narrow that only two motorbikes can pass at a time. “The Hai Canal road was completed not long before the landslide; it was very beautiful, and everyone was happy. But then, the serious landslide completely destroyed many sections of the road. The damaged road makes transporting agricultural products difficult, leading to traders forcing down prices for farmers,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Chien, whose house is located right on the Hai Canal road in Trung Doan hamlet.
Mr. Nguyen Van Chien, a resident of Trung Doan hamlet, points towards the road that has not yet been completely repaired due to landslides. Photo: THUY TIEN
Efforts to overcome
Observations at many landslide-affected areas indicate that remediation work is continuing. Mr. Duong Quoc Khoi, Chairman of the People's Committee of U Minh Thuong commune, said that the provincial road 965 has been repaired and is now serving the transportation and trade needs of the people. The rural roads affected by landslides, under local management, are still being repaired by the commune. “U Minh Thuong has approved 7 investment decisions for projects to reinforce and repair landslide-prone rural roads, with a total length of 6,496 meters and a total investment of over 44.6 billion VND; to date, 2,818 meters of road have been completed,” Mr. Khoi informed.
According to Mr. Khoi, the process of addressing landslides and subsidence is facing many difficulties in the locality. Due to the impact of hot weather, prolonged drought, and drying up of canals, the transportation of construction materials, vehicles, and equipment for construction is extremely difficult. Construction materials such as stone and sand are scarce and there is insufficient supply to serve the construction projects.
Furthermore, the sluice gates in the buffer zone must be regularly closed to prevent saltwater intrusion and retain freshwater for the agricultural production needs of the people. In addition, some contractors are not truly proactive, not paying enough attention to construction, relying on market prices, and fearing losses when material prices rise, thus proceeding slowly. This affects projects, preventing completion on time and prolonging the implementation period… “We are urging contractors to speed up construction progress and completely rectify the landslide areas as soon as possible,” Mr. Khoi said.
Forecasting a severe dry season in 2026, U Minh Thuong commune continues to raise awareness and encourage people not to draw water indiscriminately for agricultural production to avoid drying up the buffer zone canals, which could lead to a high risk of landslides and subsidence of rural roads. The local authorities are urging households with houses built close to the canals to relocate; and are resolutely relocating those whose houses are already cracked and at risk of landslides, which could affect the health, property, lives, and livelihoods of the people. "The commune has deployed specialized forces to regularly inspect, monitor, and update the damage situation and the results of temporary repairs to rural roads when subsidence or landslides occur, to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and the transportation of goods and agricultural products for the people," Mr. Khoi said.
| According to the People's Committee of U Minh Thuong commune, in 2024 the locality recorded over 450 landslides and cracks in rural roads and Provincial Road 965, with a total length of more than 11km. Many sections were deeply eroded to the road surface, completely disrupting rural roads, with estimated damages exceeding 200 billion VND. In addition, 42 houses were damaged due to subsidence, with estimated damages exceeding 5 billion VND… |
THUY THAN
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/tro-lai-vung-sat-lo-u-minh-thuong-a480065.html
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