On December 14, Hoang Van Thang, Deputy Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, Chief of Water Resources Directorate together with Dao Cong Thien, Vice-Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee took a trip to flood-hit areas to inspect damages caused by heavy rain and flood...
On December 14, Hoang Van Thang, Deputy Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, Chief of Water Resources Directorate together with Dao Cong Thien, Vice-Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee took a trip to flood-hit areas to inspect damages caused by heavy rain and flood in Khanh Hoa Province.
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| Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang (in a dark coloured shirt) takes an inspection trip to Dien Phu Commune, Dien Khanh District. |
The inspection trip was taken to Dien Phu Commune, Dien Dien Commune, Dien Khanh District and Duong De Residential Zone. Sewage lines at Duong De were ruptured, causing damage to 4 houses in the Hon Xen Resettlement Area located beneath. The damage repair has been done by the local authorities and the work has not finished yet.
Many properties on the ground floor of a 3-storey building owned by 38-year-old Pham Thi Ut Hanh at To 13, Ngo Van So Street, Vinh Hoa Ward were submerged and washed away. At the scene, the kitchen was full of debris and big rocks and walls began to crack. “Our VND1.2 billion house was built in 2015. The flood cracked walls and damaged the stairs and the kitchen. The loss is estimated at VND300 million. We are so worried and hope to receive aid from the local authorities.”
Ngo Khac Thinh, Deputy Chief of Nha Trang City Urban Management Office says urgent solutions include removing landslide debris and repairing road damage. It will take at least 3 weeks to clear 800 – 1,000m3 of debris and repair the damage at Duong De Residential Area. The city has assigned Vinh Hoa Ward to cooperate with local authorities to calculate the damage of effected families for aid consideration according to the State regulations. After the inspection, Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang affirmed that Khanh Hoa Province has a challenging mountainous terrain. Therefore, when heavy rain pours down, floodwater runs down straight from rivers to the sea, resulting in quick water level increase. There are 20 water reservoirs, including 10 big ones at a capacity of 250 million m3 in total in Khanh Hoa.
“Khanh Hoa has done a good job in the operation of reservoirs, giving timely guidance on releasing water to protect the dams. Infrastructure construction during the socio-economic development is one of the causes leading to flood watercourse obstruction,” says Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang, adding that to repair the damage, the Central Natural Disaster Center is requested to cooperate with Khanh Hoa Department of Agriculture & Rural Development to make a flood control plan to drain floodwater into Cai River in Nha Trang City and evacuation plans for effected communities to assure safety.
Dao Cong Thien directed local departments to hasten recovery effort to help flood-hit residents to overcome consequences caused by the flooding, assure traffic safety, and protect the environmental hygiene to prevent epidemic risk. Damages will be calculated for disaster aid in accordance with the State regulations. Khanh Hoa Steering Board for Flood Control, Natural Disaster Relief & Rescue has made rain and flood warning on mass media for effective response. Khanh Hoa Department of Agriculture & Rural Development has directed management units of hydroelectricity and irrigation reservoirs in Khanh Hoa Province to follow floodwater release procedures.
Khanh Hoa Steering Board for Flood Control, Natural Disaster Relief & Rescue has suggested the Government, Central ministries and departments to provide funding for flood damage repair to help alleviate the sufferings. Local authorities of the province, cities and districts have are joining effort to repair damage caused by the flooding.
According to Khanh Hoa Steering Board for Flood Control, Natural Disaster Relief & Rescue, until December 14, the flood killed 1 person in Dien An Commune, Dien Khanh District; destroyed and brought down 11 homes, including 6 in Van Ninh District and 5 in Nha Trang City; and submerged 224 homes, including 136 in Khanh Vinh, 82 in Nha Trang and 6 in Van Ninh. 100 families with 389 people were evacuated to safe places. Many roads and communities were severely flooded in Nha Trang, Dien Khanh, Cam Ranh, Cam Lam and Ninh Hoa. 1.462ha of rice was destroyed. 1.100m3 of landslide debris blocked many roads, especially at Nha Trang University, the National Road 1C, and the railway running through Ru Ri Pass tunnel. The flood water ditches in western Duong De reservoirs in Vinh Hoa Ward, Nha Trang City were ruptured. 6 boats and ships were drowned. The damage was estimated at VND50 billion in total.
Thanh Nam
Translated by N.T
