VietNamNet Bridge – Authorities have helped four households in Song Phung Commune in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang to move from an area threatened by landslides.

Landslides pose a threat to people in the Mekong Delta's Soc Trang Province. Local residents hope for a long-term solution to the problem.

One landslide, measuring eight metres in length, started to move close towards a populated area by the bank of the Ke Sach River, threatening people in dozens of households, said commune deputy chairman Phan Van Sau.

Police and neighbourhood watch were ordered to stay near the landslide site around the clock in case of emergency.

The province's Water Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development department sent specialists to the site to study ways of minimising the danger.

Initial examinations suggest the landslide threat was created by strong river currents. It is one of two sites where landslides are said to be frequent.

"We were really frightened after the incident. The local committee helped us to move our valuables out of danger, but for the long term, we hope the river bank is reinforced," said Nguyen Thi Dung, a local elder.

Sau said a proposal to solve the situation had been submitted for approval from the provincial authority.

Stronger tidal activities and landslide incidents in the province have been on the rise in recent years as the effects of climate change become evident.

VNS