Knowing the danger, we must still go
Mo Vang commune, Lao Cai province is a highland commune with many villages located deep in the mountains, making travel extremely difficult. Among them, there are three villages Khe Hop, Khe Long 2, Khe Long 3 that are almost isolated from the commune center and every time of the rainy season.
After storm No. 10, this is one of the localities that suffered heavy damage, especially in terms of infrastructure and transportation. Of which, Khe Hop suspension bridge - the bridge connecting Provincial Road 175 across Ngoi Thia with the above 3 villages collapsed and was most severely damaged.
According to Lao Dong's records in early December, the suspension bridge connecting Provincial Road 175 through Ngoi Thia stream to the three villages above was damaged, the bridge piers were broken, weathered, deformed, and did not ensure safety for travel.
The bridge surface was broken by floods, many points were twisted into large ditches, deeply submerged in V-shapes. The cable-stayed system, ropes, and sidewalks in many locations were damaged. Every time someone passed by, the bridge was hung up and shook with each step.
At the time the reporter recorded, there were signs prohibiting the use of the bridge on both sides and the presence of authorities. However, people still risk their lives to follow each railing, bridge, carry sandbags, cement, corrugated iron sheets... on their shoulders to repair their houses, repair roads, and repair schools.
Ms. Song Thi Khua (in Khe Long 2 village, Mo Vang commune) just carried a glass window on her shoulder and said: This is a unique bridge for people to travel on, knowing it is dangerous, but now the house is damaged, without repair and there is no place to live.
"The government has arranged boats to serve transportation, but big boats cannot get to shore, and small boats also make it difficult to transport goods," said Ms. Khua.
People look forward to the new bridge
Ms. Giang Thi Say (in Khe Long 2 village) confided that the damaged bridge has almost caused trade from 3 villages to surrounding localities to stagnate. Transporting cinnamon agricultural products is difficult because vehicles cannot cross the bridge, people are limited, carrying cinnamon is heavy, and driving is dangerous.
"Not to mention, children go to school, the elderly are sick, and women are also having a hard time reproducing, I just hope the state will pay attention and soon invest in building a new bridge to help people travel less difficultly," Ms. Say confided.
According to the people here, the damaged single-track suspension bridge not only causes difficulties and dangers to travel, but also seriously affects the socio-economic " course" of the area, threatening the livelihoods of more than 300 households with nearly 1,600 people in three villages of Khe Hop, Khe Long 2, Khe Long 3.
Not only repairing houses, people and local organizations and forces are having to take risks every day to "increase" the carrying of materials from Provincial Road 175 to the other side of the bridge to gather. Then he switched to motorbikes to repair points.
Mr. Tran Tuan Anh - Vice Chairman of Mo Vang Commune People's Committee said that the damage to Khe Hop suspension bridge has completely isolated the three villages of Khe Hop, Khe Long 2, Khe Long 3. Currently, the repair of damage caused by floods in the above 3 villages has not been completed due to difficulties in transporting and mobilizing machinery and equipment.
After the natural disaster, Mo Vang commune proposed that Lao Cai province urgently allocate capital to overcome the consequences, in which the repair of Khe Hop suspension bridge is a top priority.
