Consequences of opening a mountain excavation road
In recent years, the intensity and frequency of landslides in the mountainous areas of Da Nang have increased, leaving serious consequences for people and property.
Entering this year's rainy season, the situation is further complicated when many new landslides appear outside the natural disaster forecast map. At least five villages with more than 2,000 people have been urgently evacuated.
For many years, Da Nang has prioritized investment in mountainous transportation according to the goal of "wherever people are, the road goes there". However, in the context of increasingly extreme climate change, unsynchronized infrastructure has become a factor increasing the risk of landslides.
Aroi - A Ting village (Hung Son commune) was originally a safe area, but when the road was opened at the foot of the hill, after only a few heavy rains, many houses had cracks that forced them to evacuate. Some areas such as Nam Tra My also had to relocate dozens of households due to the risk of water flowing and mountains falling.
Mr. Tran Van Man - Chairman of Nam Tra My Commune People's Committee - said: "Slide risk areas should not be opened to road. If it is mandatory, there must be a proper barrier to reduce risks".
From a professional perspective, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Tuan - Director of the Central - Central Highlands Irrigation Science Institute - analyzed: cutting the road along the mountain changes the slope and drainage system. If the sewers and ditches are not able to drain water, the risk of landslides will increase significantly.
In Quang Ngai, floods have lasted for about a month, causing landslides in most mountainous communes.
Mr. Nguyen Phuc Nhan - Director of the Department of Construction of Quang Ngai province - said that 50 landslides occurred during prolonged floods.The National Highway 24 route alone has sunk, the road surface on the negative slope at Km76+790.At Km112+100, half of the roadbed is eroded, the road surface is 120m long, the width of the eroded road is calculated from the foot of the positive embankment about 5.5m...
Mr. Nhan said that on National Highway 24 alone, the authorities had cleared the road before 12:00 on November 23, however, on the morning of November 24, at Km112+200 on National Highway 24, landslides continued to occur, causing the road to be blocked. The estimated value of damage on national highways, provincial roads and routes managed by the Department of Construction is about 15 billion VND.
Resettlement lessons
According to Mr. Vo Doan - Head of the Quang Ngai Irrigation Sub-Department, the province has invested in 79 automatic rain gauge stations, 11 water level gauge stations, 4 flood warning stations for spillways, and 2 deep flood warning stations.Data transmitted directly to the VRAIN system helps localities proactively respond.
However, he emphasized: Warning is only a solution to reduce immediate risks, and in the long term, people must still be evacuated from landslide areas.In the 2026-2035 period, the province will implement 58 relocation and resettlement projects for 4,317 households.
Faced with the risk of natural disasters, Da Nang City has proactively relocated nearly 8,000 mountainous households from landslide areas, helping to end the cycle of nomadic tourism and limit casualties. The family of Ms. Ho Thi Nan in Tra Leng - Nam Tra My found a new life in the Bang La resettlement area after the 2020 landslide: "Now with solid houses, production land, schools - infirmaries nearby, we are much more secure".
Currently, thousands of people in the mountainous areas of Da Nang - Quang Ngai have to evacuate to schools, border guards or stay with other households due to the risk of consecutive flash floods and landslides. The storm and flood will pass, but landslides are still a constant threat, making returning to the old house dangerous as the mountain continues to crack.
