LAI CHAU (VNS) – Only 300 of the 800 households on the site of the Lai Chau Hydro-power Plant in the northern province of Lai Chau have been evacuated to resettlement areas.
The new resettlement areas are dispersed throughout the villages of Cang, Giang, Hat Me, Nam Khao, Nam Hai and Trung Tam, in the locality in the province.
As planned, the evacuation had to be completed by June 30 this year.
However, partially completed infrastructure to provide water and electricity in new resettlement areas were blamed for the delay.
Lo Thi Hat, a resident who moved to a new resettlement area in Trung Tam Village two months ago, said, “Tap water for daily lives is often cut off.”
Other residents have also had to go without electricity in their new resettlement area in Hat Me Village three months after they relocated.
Vietnam News Agency correspondents in the province reported that only 4 of the 6 new resettlement areas were building classrooms for children.
New resettlement areas located on soft soil in Cang, Nam Hai, and Trung Tam, were also put on high alert in case of landslides during the rainy season.
Muddy roads connecting the commune with the new resettlement areas were also believed to be making residents hesitant to move due to landslide risks.
Lu Thi Sen, chairwoman of the communal People’s Committee said it was difficult to travel during rainy weather.
“We have to use excavating machines to remove mud and soil to travel and transport our furniture,” she said.
Tran Van Dung, head of the provincial Management Board of Evacuation Project, said the risks would reduce when the rainy season ended.
By the end of this year, the management board would finish the evacuation and repair landlide-affected areas, he said.
The construction of the US$1.68-billion Lai Chau Hydroelectric Plant began in 2011 and was expected to finish in 2017. – VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News
