Photo: VNA

Thousands of households in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre are in urgent need for resettlement, as they face a high risk of falling victim to riverside landslides.

As many as nine landslide-prone districts and cities in the province with 8,347 households have been identified. The most-affected areas are the districts of Chau Thanh, Cho Lach and Mo Cay Bac.

Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Deputy Director Cao Minh Duc highlighted the difficulties facing the resettlement, saying that the locality has no land funds for the purpose.

Most of the affected households are impoverished and cannot manage their own relocation, Duc added.

The People’s Committees of the districts of Binh Dai, Giong Trom, Mo Cay Bac and Mo Cay Nam have asked for the province’s approval on a project to move nearly 500 locals from landslide-prone areas. However, the project is still awaiting approval, according to Duc.

The official called for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s financial support to build resettlement areas for residents in Vinh Binh commune in Cho Lach district and in Long Hoa commune in Binh Dai.

According to Ben Tre’s plan for resettlement from 2011 to 2015 and a vision to 2020, 8,928 households live in landslide-prone areas.

Between 2009 and 2015, 581 households were relocated to safe areas with stable homes, accounting for 6.5 percent of the target.

Source: VNA