Van Ban Commune stabilizes people's lives

It has been nearly a month since the circulation of storm No. 10 passed, but Lang Chut village, Van Ban commune, Lao Cai province still bears the marks of the natural disaster. More than 20 stilt houses, fields and gardens here are still submerged in a thick layer of sand. Local authorities are urgently overcoming the consequences, making efforts to help people stabilize their lives soon.

Temporary bridge "connecting hope"

These days, the people of Lang Chut are excited as the temporary bridge across Chut stream is gradually being completed. This is a temporary bridge that the commune authorities mobilized machinery and local forces to construct, to help 35 households living on the other side of the stream to travel more conveniently and safely.

Previously, due to the impact of floods, three bridges connecting the two banks of the stream were washed away, making travel - especially for students and the elderly - extremely difficult, posing a potential safety risk.

Join hands to build a temporary bridge across the stream.

Mr. Ha Van Van, a resident of Lang Chut village, shared: The group of households on the other side of the stream has 35 families with more than 100 people, including more than 20 students who have to cross the stream to school every day. Seeing how hard it is for the people, we mobilized each other to contribute labor and effort to build the bridge. Luckily, there are excavators to help with bridge pressing and pile driving. Although these are only two temporary bridges, we are very excited because there will be no more wading through the stream. Traveling for people and students in the village will be more convenient and safer. However, because it is a temporary bridge, we will always have to be vigilant and not cross the bridge when there is heavy rain to prevent unforeseen events.

The circulation of storm No. 10 caused prolonged heavy rain, causing the floodwaters to change course, carrying about 100,000 cubic meters of sand and gravel into Lang Chut village, causing one house to be completely swept away, and 28 other houses to suffer up to 50% damage. Many stilt houses had their entire first floors buried; fish ponds, vegetable gardens, and fields were all buried under a 2-3 meter thick layer of gravel.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Truong, a villager, choked up as she said: “My house was swept away with all its belongings and money. Pots, pans, and blankets under the stilt house were also swept away by the flood.”

Lang Chut field was buried under sand and gravel.

Not only was property lost, people's lives were also disrupted. Many households had to evacuate urgently to ensure their safety.

The government actively supports people to stabilize their lives.

Immediately after the storm ended, the Van Ban commune authorities quickly organized the evacuation of households to a safe place at the village cultural house; at the same time, they supported the construction of temporary shelters and provided essential necessities for the people.

Search for buried assets.

Militia forces, organizations, and people from neighboring villages were mobilized to help people scrape sand and gravel from under the house pillars to avoid rotting due to prolonged flooding. In the long term, the commune aims to clear the stream, prevent water from flooding into residential areas, and at the same time consider building embankments, bridges across the stream, and re-planning safer residential areas.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha - Vice Chairman of Van Ban Commune People's Committee, said: "The commune has proposed the province to rebuild a new bridge and build a 700-meter-long embankment to ensure safety in future floods. At the same time, the commune mobilized forces, vehicles, excavators and mass organizations to support 29 households to soon stabilize their lives."

To keep the stilt house intact, people help each other dig holes under the pillars and clear the water so that it does not stagnate and damage the pillars.

However, due to the large amount of sand and gravel buried, many houses were severely damaged, so on-site restoration was not feasible. The commune authorities coordinated with relevant agencies to assess the current situation, agree on a plan to evacuate and relocate residents to a safe place.

Regarding the handling of the amount of sand and gravel buried in the village, the People's Committee of Van Ban commune reported and asked for opinions from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lao Cai province to propose collecting and dredging the stream. With the Department's approval, the commune has developed a plan to transport and gather sand at designated locations, and at the same time established an inspection and monitoring team, installing cameras for 24/7 monitoring.

Van Ban Commune People's Committee mobilized local forces and excavators to collect sand and gravel.

Sand and gravel covering the roads and houses are being collected.

The sand collected will be auctioned off publicly later, and all proceeds will be paid into the State budget. However, because Lang Chut village is located deep in a residential area and the roads are small, the transportation is being carefully considered by the local authorities to avoid traffic safety incidents during the implementation process.

Although life is still difficult, the people of Lang Chut are not discouraged. Together, they clean up and repair their houses. The temporary bridges, though not yet sturdy, are a testament to the strong will of the people in the highlands. With the attention of authorities at all levels and the determination of the people, we believe that Lang Chut will soon revive, and the lives of the people here will become more and more stable and better.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/xa-van-ban-on-dinh-cuoc-song-cho-nguoi-dan-post885475.html