VietNamNet Bridge – HCM City has launched a plan to prevent landslides in the city.

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Le Thanh Liem, deputy head of the city's Flood and Storm Prevention, Search and Rescue Committee, said March to September, when tides were at their lowest, was the peak period for landslides in HCM City.

There are 62 landslide hotspots, 29 of which are considered the worst. They include Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, No 2, No 8, Binh Chanh and Nha Be districts.

Fines for illegal sand exploitation along the Sai Gon and Dong Nai rivers would be strictly imposed by local district-level People's Committees, he said.

The local Flood and Storm Prevention, Search and Rescue Committee said the main causes of landslides were the particular geology and hydrology of the region and changes in the East Sea tides.

The building of houses, warehouses and wharfs along waterways was also blamed for the high number of landslides.

Nine landslides destroyed more than 4,500sq.m of ground and 10 houses in the city last year.

The total damage was estimated at VND12.6 billion (US$605,000).

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News