A 30-metre-long section of concrete road has collapsed into the Krông Nô River in Nâm N’Đir Commune, Krông Nô District in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Hưng

ĐẮK NÔNG – At least six severe landslide locations have been reported on farmland in Nâm N’Đir Commune in Krông Nô District in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông in the past few months.

This situation has posed a significant threat to numerous local transportation and infrastructure projects, as well as the supply of water to over 1,000 hectares of farmland for the upcoming spring-winter crop.

The People's Committee of Nâm N’Đir Commune and the Krông Nô District’s Section of Agriculture and Rural Development said that over the last few months, several road sections and irrigation canals have been eroded and collapsed into the Krông Nô River.

These structures, located between 15-20 metres from the Krông Nô River’s edge, were built approximately ten years ago.

At the first landslide in Nam Ninh Hamlet in Nâm N’Đir Commune, around 30 metres of the concrete road alongside the river have been broken, and several sections of it have eroded into the river.

Traffic has been blocked, and there is also a risk of a nearby irrigation canal collapsing into the river at any moment.

Local authorities said this was the most serious landslide location on the Nâm N’Đir farmland.

Currently, the total length of the riverside road at risk of erosion is approximately 200 metres.

Local authorities said that if appropriate solutions were not implemented promptly, agricultural activities through this road would be disrupted during the upcoming spring-winter crop season.

The second landslide is situated in Nam Giao Hamlet in Nâm N’Đir Commune. A section of the irrigation canal to the farmland eroded and collapsed into the river. Additionally, various parts of the footpath alongside the river have eroded away.

Similarly, at the third landslide situated between Nam Giao and Nam Ninh hamlets in Nâm N’Đir Commune, dozens of metres of irrigation canals are at risk of collapsing into the Krông Nô River. A pump station located nearby is also in danger.

Doãn Gia Lộc, head of the district’s Section of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that apart from the three landslide sites, there were three other severe landslide locations on Nâm N’Đir farmland. These sites have also experienced severe erosion but do not directly border roads or irrigation canals that serve the farmland.

Regarding the causes of the landslide situation, the People's Committee of Krông Nô District reported that there were many factors, including natural water flow, the geological weakness of the riverbank soil — primarily sandy soil, prolonged heavy rainfall, the operation of hydro-electric power plants causing the river water level to rise consistently at high levels, and the impact of sand mining activities.

The committee has recommended that relevant agencies promptly conduct a detailed survey to identify the specific causes of these landslides and propose timely solutions and recommendations.

It has asked the People's Committee of Nâm N’Đir commune to urgently install warning signs in landslide-prone areas.

The committee has proposed the provincial people's committee allocate funds for temporary measures to address landslides, protect essential infrastructure, and maintain stable irrigation for farming during the upcoming spring-winter crop.

In the long term, the district has proposed that the provincial people's committee request allocation ofthe State budget for a riverbank landslide prevention project.

The Krông Nô River flows through six communes in Krông Nô district in Đắk Nông Province, with a total length of over 50 kilometres.

In 2020, the province invested in two landslide prevention projects along the Krông Nô River with a total budget of VNĐ60 billion (US$2.68 million). The two projects are expected to limit landslides, protect production areas and households on both sides of the river, and ensure traffic safety on National Highway No 28. – VNS