QUẢNG BÌNH — Thousands of households along Gianh River in the central province of Quảng Bình are at risk of harms by landslides as the situation is getting worse in recent times.

As the banks have eroded, some houses have been left no more than a few metres from the river.

The situation poses a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of local people, forcing many to consider relocation.

“My house was only five metres from the river bank,” Hoàng Minh Phương, a resident of Thượng Thọ Village, Cảnh Hoá Commune in Quảng Trạch District, told online site of the Voice of Việt Nam (vov.vn).

“It's dangerous, especially in the flood and rainy season,” Phương said. “The river had swamped into our houses and land."

Now, the locals have had to plant bamboo to prevent more landslides.

Cảnh Hoá Commune has more than 1,200 households, of which 300 are in areas with elevated risk of landslides.

Nguyễn Tiến Thực, the commune’s vice chairman, said local people want the central Government to build dykes to protect them.

Meanwhile, in Quảng Ninh District, there are four high-risk areas that are home to more than 1,000 households.

The local government has set up a plan to evacuate 200 households to safety, according to the district’s chairman Phạm Trung Đông.

“In the long term, it is necessary to set up relocation areas for the local people as well as build up the dyke and dam system,” said Đông.

According to Quảng Bình Province’s People’s Committee Chairman Trần Công Thuật, districts were asked to speed construction of anti-landslide projects and dykes and reservoirs to keep residents safe during the rainy season.

“The province will invest into build up and restore the dyke system,” said Thuật. “And plans for evacuation and resettlement have been set up already.” — VNS