Hundreds of households in Dương Quang Commune, in Bắc Kạn Town in the northern mountainous province of the same name, are still waiting to be resettled as part of the Nặm Cắt Reservoir Construction Project while the storm season approaches.– Photo dantocmiennui.vn

BẮC KẠN – Hundreds of households in Dương Quang Commune, in Bắc Kạn Town in the northern mountainous province of the same name, are still waiting to be resettled as part of the Nặm Cắt Reservoir Construction Project while the storm season approaches.

The project, approved in 2009, was invested by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Irrigation Work Investment and Construction Management No 2, with a total investment of VNĐ440 billion (US$19.7 million). It was expected to be completed by the end of this year with a capacity of 12 million cubic metres of water.

The project is expected to provide water for more than 500ha of agricultural land and for aquaculture farms in the province, as well as helping to reduce floods and develop eco-tourism in the locality.

About 100ha of land were revoked for the construction of the reservoir and VNĐ110 billion earmarked for land clearance and compensation.

Although 60 per cent of the project has been completed, these households have not been resettled, causing difficulties for their livelihoods.

After the project was approved, local authorities required people in Nà Pài, Bản Bung and Bản Pẻn villages along Nặm Cắt River to not build, upgrade or repair their houses. The land clearance task was carried out from 2010 to relocate people in these villages to new areas so their land could be used for the construction of the reservoir. However, the project was temporarily postponed in November 2011, but the local people were still required not to build or repair their houses. As they have been forced to live in a temporary situation, these people have not been able to invest in long-term production.

The project was resumed in May 2014 and the people were expected to move to resettlement areas in November 2015.

However, Deputy Head of the town’s Construction Investment and Management Board, Võ Quốc Toàn, said that the resettlement was extended to November of this year.

Nguyễn Thị Xinh, from Nà Pài Village, said her house was near the construction site of the project so they had to move and live temporarily in another area while waiting for the construction of the resettlement area to be completed.

“Having no land for rice cultivation after being relocated, I have to grow and sell vegetables to earn more income,” she said. Meanwhile, tens of hectares of land for construction of resettlement houses for these people is being left unused.

Đinh Quang Tuyên, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bắc Kạn City, said seven households that needed to be relocated immediately when the construction of the project started, were relocated. However, more than 90 households would be relocated later due to a lack of finances.

The local authorities proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development provide more funds to build the resettlement area, he said.

Initially, 11 households in Bản Pẻn Village, who are at risk of being flooded in the rainy season, would be relocated first. The remaining households would be relocated later, he said.

Bùi Thị Thu, from Bản Pẻn Village, said local people were willing to move for the construction of the project but felt insecure due to the delays. They hoped construction of the resettlement area would be completed soon so as to stabilise their lives, she said. — VNS