Hundreds of people have been forced to live in slum areas near the seaport in central Binh Dinh Province’s Quy Nhon City, regardless of the pollution and fire risks.

In the slum areas in Hai Cang Ward, there are more than 700 people living in temporary tents and houses.

Dang Thanh Ba, resident of the ward, said he, like other families, earned a living by fishing in Thi Nai Lagoon. They had, therefore, made a temporary house on the surface of the water to reside in.

After a long time, a community was established, he said.

Truong Van Hoa, another resident, said all the households were too poor to have their own house. Each household lived in a tent with the average area between 15 and 30sq.m. They all had to suffer from a horrible odour from the garbage nearby.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, chairman of the ward’s People’s Committee, told zing.vn that in 2011, the city implemented a programme for the resettlement for some 2,000 residents living there.

Currently, there were some 178 households in these areas. Most were facing difficulties, with serious pollution from the garbage at the seaport and the risk of fire, he said, adding that five households caught fire due to short circuit last year.

Tuan said a project to build a dyke along the seaport was approved with total investment capital of VNĐ120 billion (US$5.3 million). However, due to a shortage of funds, the project has not been executed. 

The slum areas in photos:

VNS/Zing