The Prime Minister asked the chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Northern region to continue directing the thorough review of residential areas, promptly identifying areas at risk, especially those prone to landslides, flash floods, and deep flooding; proactively arranging forces and means to resolutely evacuate people from these dangerous areas to ensure the safety of people's lives and property.
According to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, from the night of August 10 to August 11, many places in Northern Vietnam experienced heavy rain. Hanoi had showers with thunderstorms. The focus of the rain was in the northern mountainous region, with high risks of floods and landslides in the provinces of Lai Chau, Tuyen Quang, Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang.
In the morning of August 11, the water level of the Lenin Stream in Ha Quang District (Cao Bang Province) rose, flooding some areas in the Pac Bo National Heritage Site. Due to the muddy and strong current, the site management had to notify tourists to reconsider their visit. Many places in this province had a precipitation of 100-150mm, causing landslides and serious traffic jams.
In Son La Province, a landslide occurred on August 11, collapsing a wall and flooding into the house of Lo Van Huan in Na Lech Village (Chieng Lao Commune of Muong La District), injuring two children.
Previously, on August 10, a landslide occurred in Ta Xua Village of Ta Xua Commune in Bac Yen District with a volume of about 50,000m3 of soil and rock sliding hundreds of meters down, cutting through Provincial Road No.112, burying a restaurant and a homestay below. After the incident, many people canceled or postponed their Ta Xua tours.
The National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting on the same day also reported that in the Central region, from Ha Tinh Province to Ninh Thuan Province, there was still hot weather of 37-38oC, lasting for many more days.
Localized thunderstorms occurred in the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and some places in the Southern region.
On August 11, in Dong Hai District (Bac Lieu Province), a delegation from the Central Government led by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang had a working session with the leaders of Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces on the situation of land subsidence, landslides, and response work in these two localities.
Chairman Pham Van Thieu of the People's Committee of Bac Lieu Province said that over the past 10 years, Bac Lieu has frequently experienced landslides and land subsidence in areas along rivers and the East Sea coast. In particular, since the beginning of 2023, the situation of riverbank and coastal erosion has become more serious
Currently, in Bac Lieu Province, there are 77 areas of riverbank erosion and 6 areas of coastal erosion, with a total erosion length of nearly 600km. Bac Lieu Province has requested the Central Government to consider supporting VND3,4 trillion (US$135.5 million) to implement an investment project for 5 critical erosion areas and to prevent tidal waves as well as protect production with a total length of nearly 80km.
According to Vice Chairman Le Van Su of the People's Committee of Ca Mau Province, the total length of the extremely dangerous and dangerous coastal erosion sections in the province is nearly 84km. There are 355 riverbank erosion points, 82 of which are serious ones with a total affected area of up to 3,724 hectares.
Vice Chairman Su shared that during the 2023-2024 dry season, the prolonged drought and lack of freshwater supply caused severe water shortages for daily life, production, and firefighting in the northern part of Ca Mau Province. Moreover, it also reduced the counter-pressure, leading to landslides and subsidence of riverbanks and roads.
Ca Mau Province requested the Central Government to support over VND2 trillion ($79.7 million) for the locality to invest in projects to respond to coastal and riverbank erosion.
In his concluding remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasized that the Mekong Delta region plays a crucial role in ensuring the country's food security. However, this region is vulnerable to climate change. Therefore, it is necessary to have a comprehensive and synchronous solution to prevent landslides and subsidence.
The Deputy Prime Minister requested that localities coordinate with central agencies to do a good job of forecasting the situation of landslides and subsidence. Localities must resolutely relocate people in vulnerable areas to safe places; pay attention to the livelihoods of the people. Regarding investment capital, it is necessary to follow the correct principles and prioritize the most urgent projects first.
