The whole village was isolated because of the broken bridge and landslide.
In recent days, Lao Cai province has experienced moderate to heavy rains over a wide area. This has caused landslides on many roads leading to communes and villages, making travel difficult.
Present in Phin Ngan commune, Bat Xat district in the first days of October, Lao Dong Newspaper reporters recorded serious landslides, especially on the main roads leading to villages and hamlets.
Finding the way to Suoi Chai village, where 25 households are being evacuated from areas at high risk of landslides, it was observed that the bridges leading to this village are impassable by both cars and motorbikes.
Walking into the village is also dangerous, as you have to cross fast-flowing streams and damaged bridges. Even climbing the trails is impossible because of landslides and mud.
Mr. Vang A Khang (Phin Ngan commune) said: "The heavy rain in the past few days has made the landslide situation even more serious. The roads are all covered in deep mud, making it very difficult to travel and extremely dangerous because one side is a mountain and the other side is a cliff."
According to Mr. Khang, Suoi Chai village is currently isolated and inaccessible because the main roads and bridges are all eroded and damaged.
Sharing with Lao Dong Newspaper reporters over the phone, Mr. Phan Ta - Head of Suoi Chai village said: "Our village is currently isolated because the bridge is broken and the road is landslide. People are currently being mobilized to repair the road and bridge to soon reconnect traffic with the outside."
Regarding resettlement arrangements for households at risk of landslides, according to Suoi Chai Phan Ta Village Chief, the village currently has about 25 households that have been relocated. However, for many years, this has not been possible.
"The households have been waiting for a long time, but they don't know what to do, so they have to stay in the landslide-prone area, facing danger and continuing to wait. When it rains and floods, they will move to the temporary shelter built by the government 3 years ago to stay for a few days, and when the rain stops, they will return home because the house is very cramped and hot," Suoi Chai Village Chief Phan Ta added.
Slow resettlement makes people struggle to escape floods
Ms. Chao May (Suoi Chai village) said: "When we didn't have the capital, it was obvious that we couldn't do it. At the end of last year, we had the money but we couldn't do it quickly in the months before the storm season so people could move to a safe place. Now that it's raining and flooding, we can't do it because the roads are broken. Our lives are always threatened by the risk of landslides."
Mr. Vang Lao Lo - Chairman of the People's Committee of Phin Ngan commune informed: In recent days, due to the rain, the road to Suoi Chai village has been eroded, the whole village is currently isolated. The government has sent people to find a way into the village to grasp the situation.
According to research, 25 households of Suoi Chai village are among the total 70 households in the resettlement project to Lao Vang village. The project has a total investment of more than 21 billion VND. Although it was planned since 2020, it has not been implemented due to lack of budget.
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Vu Van Sinh - Director of Bat Xat District Construction Investment Project Management Board said: "Due to the capital allocation from the National Target Program budget, at the end of 2023, we started the resettlement project in Lao Vang village for households in areas at high risk of landslides. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2024".
According to Mr. Vu Van Sinh, the project has cleared 5 hectares of land, only 1 hectare is left and the commune is still implementing the remaining area.
In addition to the unfinished land clearance, the project has only been able to deploy the clean water system. However, there are still problems because the pipeline runs through the fields of some households in Sa Pa, so they are demanding compensation.
According to Mr. Vu Van Sinh, the resettlement project in Phin Ngan commune will include: leveling the ground, installing electricity and water systems, and building internal roads. When completed, it will be divided into many lots for households to build houses.
"The storm has caused many roads to be broken, making it impossible to bring in equipment for construction. We are planning to move machinery through Sa Pa to the resettlement site. Therefore, the project will not be completed this year and will have to be postponed until next year," added Vu Van Sinh, Director of the Bat Xat District Construction Investment Project Management Board.
