Emergency aid delivered to residents hit by floods

More than 60 residents in Quang Binh Province's Tan Hoa Commune are living in caves because their houses are still submerged. About 10 tonnes of food will be supplied to the province's isolated communes in the next four days. — VNA/VNS Photo Duy Hung-Manh Thanh

HA NOI — Helicopters and naval rescue ships have reached residents isolated by floods in the northern central region to provide them with emergency aid, said local authorities. About 10 tonnes of food will be supplied to the province's isolated communes in the next four days.

As of yesterday, the death toll was 28; seven are still missing and nine were injured; as many as 12 fishing vessels sank and 14 others were damaged and needed rescuing, according to the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

Though water started receding, 82 communes in Ha Tinh Province and 52 communes in Quang Tri Province remain submerged, and many areas are still isolated due to landslides and blocked traffic.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai visited the affected areas yesterday to guide the delivery of the emergency aid.

The Government sent an urgent message requesting that local authorities in the central region immediately supply sufficient food and clean water for affected residents.

The Deputy PM required local authorities in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue provinces to supply 110 tonnes of instant noodles and 100,000 litres of clean water to people in isolated areas.

More than 5,020 households in Quang Binh, more than 3,820 in Ha Tinh, more than 5,000 in Quang Tri and 550 in Thua Thien-Hue have been relocated to higher regions.

Ha Tinh Province's Preventive Medicine Centre Director Nguyen Van Hien said that thousands of local residents were facing the threat of epidemics, such as diarrhoea, dengue fever and skin diseases. To combat this threat, the centre supplied 200kg and 40,000 tablets of Chloramine B among other drugs to the three worst-hit districts: Huong Khe, Vu Quang and Duc Tho.

The provincial report showed that 31 health clinics were submerged and many medical tools were destroyed. The loss was initially estimated to reach more than VND5 billion (US$255,000).

Thua Thien Hue Province's Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control said 39 landslides along Ho Chi Minh Road have been cleared. The flash flood destroyed 49km of roads, hiking the traffic sector's total loss up to at least VND19 billion ($969,000).

The National Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Center said the water levels at Ho Ho Hydroelectricity Dam and the rivers from Ha Tinh to Quang Binh provinces were receding slowly.

On Tuesday, HCM City People's Committee provided VND3.5 billion ($178,500) to five heavily-affected provinces. The Viet Nam Red Cross also provided financial support and a range of goods valued at VND2.2 billion ($112,200) for these five provinces. — VNS

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Dyke violation crackdown in Hanoi

Dyke violations are reducing their effectiveness in the approaching storm season yet little has been done to resolve the issue, said Hanoi’s Flood and Dyke Management Department director Do Duc Thinh.

"Serious violations are being reported, such as the presence of houses and other solid constructions on the dykes, but so far they have not resulted in a clearance of the dykes," Thinh said.

Statistics showed there were 4,700 violations of the city's 20 dyke lines, which cover 470km; 440 violations were discovered last year.

"Though statistics show 177 violations in the first six months of this year, the real number is higher," Thinh said. "New violations are emerging every day while local authorities have not resolved the old ones."

Most violations involved construction of houses, workshops, stocks and brick-kilns on dykes. Others included dumping construction rubbish, removing gravel and digging irrigation channels.

Violations occurred primarily in the Hong and Day riverside districts, including Ung Hoa, Dan Phuong, Phu Xuyen and Hoai Duc districts.

"About 40 percent of violations occurred along a 36km stretch in Ung Hoa district."

Pham Van Hien, head inspector of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said some districts have not taken drastic enough measures to handle the situation, being content to settle the simple violations and ignore the rest. Some offenders continued violating for years and years.

In fact, he said, Phu Xuyen district's Minh Phu, Van Nhan and Hong Thai communes had actually signed contracts with individuals to build 35 brick kilns on riverbanks, which was a direct infringement under the Dyke Law.

In addition, brick kiln owners illegally exploit dyke land and transport materials.

Thinh said local authorities had carried out inspections of the city's dyke system which resulted in the removal of illegal homes and other buildings.

"However, a lack of strict punishment on the violations makes the situation complicated," he said, adding clearances requires co-ordination.

"The best solution is to closely follow up with dyke management and to continuously improve the dykes before and after the rainy season," Thinh said.

He also recommended Hanoi create a resettlement land bank for families whose houses were removed from the dyke system./.

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