The worry of landslides "hanging" on your head
Although many years have passed, the obsession with landslides still "hangs" on the heads of the people here. What makes them even more concerned is that the resettlement area (TDC) for households in landslide areas has been completed a long time ago, but they have not been able to relocate yet. Meanwhile, it is forecasted that from now until the end of the year, Gia Lai province may be affected by 5-6 storms, accompanied by many heavy rains from now until the end of the year, with the risk of many floods and landslides in Cat Tien commune.
Ms. Mai Thi Du (73 years old, residing in Chanh Thang village), a household at the foot of Cam mountain, shared that every time it rains and thunderstorms, she and her son wear a pillow to visit a familiar person's house to temporarily take shelter to keep their life, while the house and property are left in trust for the sky. Knowing that there is a resettlement area to evacuate people from landslide areas, I am less worried, but I have not seen any relocation since I waited a long time, Ms. Du confided.
Mr. Le Van San (65 years old), Secretary of the Chanh Thang village Party Cell, said that every rainy season, people at the foot of the mountain share the same worry, fearing that rocks and soil on the mountain could slide down their homes at any time.
After the landslide, the local government has built items to regulate the flow and drainage ditches to prevent rocks and soil from overflowing into residential areas, but this is only a temporary solution. In the long term, the Gia Lai provincial government has built a 3ha resettlement area with a total investment of 32 billion VND to relocate 64 households from the danger zone. At the end of 2024, the Cam Mountain resettlement area was completed, but people have not been able to relocate because compensation work is not yet clear.
Temporary relocation during the rainy and stormy season
Through the review, there are 64 households with 232 people affected in the landslide area of Cam mountain, the total estimated cost of compensation for architectural works is about 65 billion VND. On October 28, the People's Committee of Cat Tien commune proposed that the Provincial People's Committee consider allocating capital to carry out site clearance and relocate households to the resettlement area.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Secretary of the Party Committee of Cat Tien commune - said that after the merger, the commune must establish a Compensation and Site Clearance Council, re-count all assets on the land, avoid expansion, causing compensation costs.
"After calculating the compensation cost, the commune will organize a meeting with the people to make it public, agree and relocate. Due to not being able to do it in time this year, the locality has developed a temporary evacuation plan to ensure the safety of people when natural disasters occur. It is expected that by early 2026, 64 households will be relocated, helping them stabilize their lives," said Mr. Hung.
According to Mr. Cao Thanh Thuong - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Lai province, in the face of the complicated developments of natural disasters, the Department has submitted to the Provincial People's Committee a plan to arrange residents in natural disaster areas, extremely difficult areas, border areas, islands, special-use forests and areas with free migration for the period 2026-2030. It is expected that by the end of this year, the Provincial People's Council will consider and approve the support policy for implementation.
In the period of 2026-2030, the province will review all areas at high risk of landslides, build resettlement areas to relocate people out of dangerous areas, ensure safety and stabilize their lives. "For the Cam Mountain resettlement area alone, in early October, the Department inspected, worked and urged Cat Tien commune to develop a compensation plan for the Department to appraise and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for approval," said Mr. Thuong.
Speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan - Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee - affirmed that relocating and evacuating households in landslide areas before the storm season is an urgent task, especially in areas frequently affected by natural disasters.
"The Cam Mountain resettlement area cannot be relocated yet, so households are forced to temporarily evacuate to a safe place during the rainy and stormy season. The province has issued separate support mechanisms and policies for these households. It is expected that the resettlement of resettlement will be completed in 2026," said Mr. Tuan.
