Fire-struck households move to resettlement area

After a fire burned their homes last Sunday, 19 families in Chuong Duong ward in Hoan Kiem District have been moved to a resettlement area in Tay Ho District . — VNS Photo

HA NOI — As many as 19 out of 35 households that suffered damages after a fire burned their apartments in a two-storey wooden building last Sunday in Hoan Kiem's Chuong Duong Ward have temporarily moved to a resettlement area in Tay Ho District's Phu Thuong Commune.

Do Thi Uoc, a resident of the burned wooden building said that her relatives had to provide clothes for her and her husband because when the fire occurred, they were only able to save their motorbike and house ownership certificate.

Everything else they owned was burned, she said.

"We hope to quickly resettle soon in a safe place so we can get our life back to normal," she said.

In the short term, they have a temporary place to stay and assistance money.

Ha Noi Fatherland Front Committee yesterday has decided to support VND395 million (US$ 18,800) for the households who own burned apartments.

The district authority has also supportedVND6 million ($288) for each of them and VND1 million ($48) each for two households who rented burned apartments.

Lam Quoc Hung, chairman of Hoan Kiem District People's Committee, said that the burned apartment building will be not rebuilt, and the city plans to use the land to build public works.

A long-term policy for the households to move to resettlement areas will be submitted for approval by the city, he said.

Up to eight wooden buildings still exist although the city assigned the Hoan Kiem District People's Committee and the city's Project Management Unit to remove all 17 wooden buildings in the ward in 2006.

Nguyen Quoc Tuan, deputy director of the city's Construction Department, said that the wooden buildings would be removed as soon as possible because the Red River flood corridor programming has been announced.

The previous plan to remove the wooden buildings failed because at that time, programmes were not set up, he said.

Under the Red River flood corridor programming, around 15,000 households will be evacuated including the people living in Chuong Duong Ward. — VNS