Ru Dau Mountain in Thuong Tien village (Hoa Lac commune) has a large crack, causing many households living below this mountain to worry and have to evacuate every time there is a flood.
Mr. Phan Van Luong (54 years old, resident of Thuong Tien village) said that Ru Dau mountain has been eroded and cracked for many years. After each rainy season, the cracks spread wider, extending hundreds of meters.
“We are very worried but do not have the financial means to resettle elsewhere, so we have to try to stay and live under this mountain. To be safe, before each rain and flood, the government asks us to temporarily evacuate to another place, and after the rain and flood, we return home,” Mr. Luong shared.
According to Mr. Pham Van Tap - Head of Thuong Tien village, there are 16 households living at the foot of Ru Dau mountain. Of these, 8 households live near the mountain cracks and landslides, which pose a high risk of safety.
“Recently, the cracks on the mountain have been complicated and unpredictable, spreading to a depth of 4-5m, extending about 200m, with many cracks even running towards the top of the mountain,” Mr. Tap said.
On the afternoon of November 7, Mr. Tran Van Dien - Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Lac commune - said that the crack on Ru Dau mountain appeared a long time ago, and over time, the location has collapsed, posing a risk of landslides.
Therefore, to ensure the safety of people living at the foot of the mountain, in the immediate rainy season, local authorities require people to evacuate to a safe place.
In the long term, the locality has also proposed to the district, province and relevant agencies to consider supporting resettlement for households living near the mountain crack, but people are still hesitant to move because it involves land, and the cost of rebuilding houses in the new place is also very large and expensive.
In Huong Lien commune (Huong Khe district), on Cay Coi mountain in village 1, a crack also appeared, more than 20m long, about 20cm wide, located at an altitude of about 20m. Around the mountain crack, the ground has subsided about 30cm, and there are signs of landslides at the foot of the mountain.
About 2km from Cay Coi mountain, on Khe Co mountain at an altitude of about 50m, long cracks also appeared.
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong - Vice Chairman of Huong Lien Commune People's Committee - said that the government has proposed to superiors and functional agencies to have solutions to handle and fix these mountain cracks but there have been no results yet.
In the immediate future, to ensure safety during each flood season, localities will propagate and require people to evacuate from areas at risk of landslides.
