VietNamNet Bridge – The threat of landslides, particularly during the rainy and stormy seasons has concerned residents who live along the west bank of the Hong (Red) River in Ha Noi.

Landslides occurred along the Hong (Red) River in northern Phu Tho. Riverside residential areas in Ha Noi are also facing at risk from landslides. — Photo: VNA/VNS

Early this month, a riverside house in Bach Dang Ward, Hoan Kiem District collapsed because of a landslide. About ten nearby houses are also vulnerable to collapse and cracks appeared on roads there.

Nguyen Van Binh, owner of the collapsed house, said that his family had lived there for a decade.

They were still traumatised by the collapse and felt lucky none of them were at home when the house collapsed.

Now, he has to pay VND3 million (US$134) a month for a rental house.

Nguyen Bich Phuong, Binh’s neighbour, said that she was worried as now her house was closer to the river.

Le Bich Hang, chairwoman of Bach Dang Ward People’s Committee said that local authorities could do nothing but urge families in dangerous areas to move to safer areas.

Local authorities could not arrange resettlement for landslide-hit households because they had no land available for resettlement, she said.

The ward saw landslides after heavy rains in 1996, 1997, 2003 and 2012, affecting an apartment building and police station.

In 2012, Ha Noi municipal People’s Committee started building stone embankments but they have not been completed yet due to funding shortages.

Last month, following storm Dianmu, landslides also struck other sections of the Hong River’s west bank, affecting hundreds of families.

A 200 metre landslide hit Van Coc Dyke in Tho An Commune, suburban Dan Phuong District. Walls cracked in at least three houses.

Along a 1-km part of Red River’s west bank from Son Tay Town’s Duong Lam Commune to Ba Vi District’s Cam Thuong Commune, about 20 spots suffered serious landslides.

Vice director of Ha Noi’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department, Ha Duc Trung, said that  the adjusted water flow to serve waterway transport to Ha Noi Port affected west bank of Red River.

The river’s west bank sloped and was yet to be embanked, so it was vulnerable to landslides, Trung said.

Trung said that the agriculture department asked municipal committee to launch a project on the Red River’s west bank embankment in three wards of Chuong Duong, Thanh Luong and Bach Dang.

The project is expected to curb landslides in riverside residential areas.

VNS