BẠC LIÊU — Households in the Mekong Delta province of Bạc Liêu facing risks of landslide have been relocated to safer ground, local authorities have announced.

Residents reported that at least six houses located along riverbanks in Giá Rai District’s Ward No 1 were victims of landslides in the last three days.

Subsidences and cracks have occurred in these houses’ walls, they said.

Early morning on Tuesday, local residents reported that they were awoken by a cacophony of noise coming from the back of their homes. They got out of bed and found that their houses were slowly sinking into the river.

Prolonged heavy rain over the past days has weakened ground, causing landslides in some areas of the region.

Phạm Thị Diệu, the Ward No 1’s Party secretary, said local authorities have joined hands to help residents move their belongings and evacuate them to safe places.

Households living in dangerous areas have been encouraged to dismantle their houses and move their properties to safety. Many are temporarily staying in relatives’ homes. Some have temporarily slept in schools, Diệu said.

Local authorities are continuing to prepare preventive measures, she said.

Locals have been asked to limit building houses near riverbanks and canals and to actively monitor signs of pending landslides.

In the long term, the localities will implement specific solutions such as building embankments to prevent landslides or relocating people to other places with supportive funds to build new houses.

From now to the end of the year, it is estimated that the province will face a high risk of landslide due to the coming rainy season. Locals must be vigilant in order to avoid damage to people and property, the authorities said. — VNS