In recent days, moderate to heavy rain has lasted in Lao Cai province, increasing the risk of landslides and rockslides on many mountainous roads.
In which, National Highway 4D - a vital traffic route connecting Lao Cai ward with Sa Pa National Tourist Area and highland localities - continuously faces the risk of soil and rocks spilling onto the road surface.
Faced with complicated weather developments, the Traffic Police Department - Lao Cai Provincial Police has strengthened patrol and control forces on national highways, especially in mountainous areas, high slopes and landslide-prone areas.
The forces also maintain a 24/24 hour on-duty regime, ready to be present at the scene to divert and regulate traffic immediately when incidents occur, limit congestion and ensure safety for people and vehicles.
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Viet Hung - Deputy Head of Road Traffic Police Team No. 1, Traffic Police Department - Lao Cai Provincial Police - said that the unit has developed a plan to strengthen patrols on key routes, especially National Highway 4D during the rainy and flood season.
The force regularly reviews locations at risk of landslides, arranges officers to be on duty at key points. When landslides or traffic jams occur, officers and soldiers quickly put up warning signs, divert vehicles, and coordinate with road management units to handle the scene to ensure traffic," Lieutenant Colonel Tran Viet Hung said.
Along with that, the management and maintenance unit of National Highway 4D has mobilized excavators, bulldozers, specialized vehicles and on-duty personnel on the route to promptly level soil and rocks, clear drainage systems and handle landslide points.
However, remediation work faces many difficulties due to the rugged hilly terrain, high slopes and weak soil. Prolonged rain has caused soil and rocks to become unstable, with the risk of continuing to collapse at any time, affecting the construction process.
According to Lao Cai Road Joint Stock Company, the biggest difficulty is erratic weather, unstable soil and rocks, so the risk of landslides is very high.
Currently, the unit is arranging personnel and machinery to be on duty 24/24 hours at key locations to handle immediately when incidents occur.
Functional forces recommend that during the time when storms and floods continue, people and tourists when traveling on National Highway 4D should regularly update weather information, reduce speed when passing through steep passes, and do not stop at locations at risk of landslides.
