TUYÊN QUANG — The northern province of Tuyên Quang has failed to relocate households living in landslide-prone areas to safety due to a lack of funds.

About 31 households with 138 people in Nà Đứa Village, Đà Vị Commune of Na Hang District, are still waiting for relocation plans from the province.

Dương Ngọc Lâm, a resident of Nà Đứa Village, said long cracks had appeared along the ground in the village, with some spanning hundreds of metres. New cracks appear when it rains, measuring up to 20cm wide and 1m deep, causing houses to lean and seriously affecting people’s lives.

According to another local resident, Vi Thị Tuyền, cracks appeared along the walls of her house three years ago and the foundations have also subsided.

Prolonged rainfall in 2017 has made the situation worse.

In April, seven out of 31 households had to be evacuated to temporary shelters due to heavy rain and landslides.

Tô Hưng Khánh, an officer at the Agriculture and Rural Development Office in Na Hang District, said local authorities have an urgent relocation plan to evacuate affected households to safe places with funds of VNĐ8 billion after conducting a review and determining the level of financial support.

But due to difficulties in allocating funds, they are still awaiting approval from the province.

The province planned to move 95 households living in landslide-prone areas to safety before the rainy season starts.

The relocation of the households aims to minimise damage caused by natural disasters and contribute to the province’s efforts to reduce poverty, protect the environment and ensure security and defence. 

The resettled families include households in Lâm Bình, Na Hang, Chiêm Hoá, Hàm Yên, Yên Sơn, Sơn Dương districts and Tuyên Quang City. 

A total of 18 households in Lâm Bình, Hàm Yên, Yên Sơn and Na Hang have been relocated to date. — VNS