Many locals in Dak Nong Province are complaining about the huge cracks in their houses which seem to have been caused by explosions at nearby hydropower plant construction in adjacent Dak Lak Province. 

On-going construction in Dak Lak Province

According to dozens of households in Phu Thuan Village, Quang Phu Commune, since early 2018, explosions have been carried out to build Chu Pong Krong Hydropower Plant and install a turbine on Krong No River, which is on the border of Dak Lak and Dak Nong provinces. 

Since then they have been living in fear as more and more cracks have appeared on the walls and the houses look like they could collapse anytime. They have reported the problem to the investors to no avail.

Le Thi Thuan whose house is 200 metres away from the river said her house was built in 2016. However, many cracks have appeared and half of her kitchen subsided. 

"My house rocked whenever the explosions were carried out. The picture frames on the wall and the parts of the tiled roof just fell. Our walls have like hundreds of cracks, some are as high as the wall. The roof of our kitchen will be gone if one more explosion is carried out," she said.

Another local, Cao Thi Thuan, said her house was built last year and cost nearly VND1bn. She is afraid that the house will collapse if the explosions go on. Her neighbour's front yard was already divided into two parts by a two-metre-wide crack.

"We were going to have lunch on March 8 when an explosion occurred and broke all of the dishes. My seven-month-old child was startled and cried. We rushed out of the house, fearing a collapse," Thuan said.

Many locals in Dak Nong Province are complaining about the huge cracks in their houses

At first, the construction firm used a siren to announce an explosion but it hasn't been used in the past weeks. 

According to Le Van Ty, a local in Phu Thuan Village, the construction has badly affected the lives of 70 households. 

They were told that only 240kg of explosive was used but Ty suspected that the number might be much higher.

"Their technician said an explosion was equal to a magnitude 7 earthquake and we have four to five explosions every week. Who and what house can bear that?" Ty said.

The locals also reported to the local authorities and gathered near the construction site to oppose the explosion. 

Vu Hoang Phu, chairman of Quang Phu Commune People's Committee, said they had received two letters with over 30 signatures and dozens of calls from the locals.

He said, "We've surveyed the houses to report to the higher-ups because we don't have the authority to deal with this case. We hope the provincial authorities will have solutions to deal with the complaints quickly."

Dak Nong Department of Industry and Trade, who was directed to inspect the site by the provincial authorities, confirmed the cracked houses but hasn't announced any conclusion about the cause. 

On May 22, Dak Nong Province People's Committee asked Dak Lak People's Committee to adopt measures to protect and compensate the locals living near the construction site.

Dtinews