More than 5,600 households in erosion-prone areas in the southernmost province of Ca Mau need to be relocated by 2020 but local authorities are struggling to find capital and land, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

An erosion site in C​a Mau province’s U Minh district.

The districts of U Minh, Tran Van Thoi, Dam Doi, Phu Tan, Nam Can and Ngoc Hien have a high number of households living in erosion-prone areas that need to be relocated.

In addition, several resettlement areas funded with the province’s budget have not been operating effectively as the resettled households have not been able to have a stable livelihood. Many of these resettled households have returned to live in the erosion-prone areas.

Du Be Ba, Chairman of the U Minh District People’s Committee, said the province should have policies that would provide a stable livelihood for resettled people in zoned areas.

U Minh district plans to call for investment in building a 5-7ha resettlement area in Khanh Tien commune’s Vam Tieu Dua area that will be worth nearly 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD). If this resettlement area is built by 2020, the district can resettle hundreds of households in coastal areas.

The district will create conditions for relocated households to stabilise their livelihoods by providing vocational training and jobs for them, Ba said.

Le Van Su, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the province had paid attention to relocating households in areas affected by natural disasters but the relocation process was still slow and ineffective.  

The lack of investment capital and land are the major reasons for the slowness and ineffectiveness, Su said.

In addition, many relocated households are poor and do not have a stable job so it is difficult for them to ensure their livelihood in resettlement areas.

The provincial People’s Committee has ordered agencies and departments to resolve difficulties in existing resettlement areas. It told the district People’s Committees to review and classify poor households so that plans to support them can be drawn up. -VNA