River water floods houses in Vinh Binh commune of Cho Lach district, Ben Tre province, as a result of dyke erosion in September 2018 (Photo: VNA)BenTre (VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre will evacuate about200 local households living along rivers and canals to safer areas in 2019-2020, and support 100 others to repair and upgrade their houses in the period.
According to a project to relocate the households outlined by local authoritiesfor the period of 2021-2025, the province will move more than 500 households tosafe places and support 250 others.
Itis part of the efforts to promote sustainable development and adapt to climatechange in the Mekong Delta region.
Many resettlement areas will be formed in the districts of Binh Dai, Mo CayNam, Mo Cay Bac and Giong Trom to serve the urgent relocation of households livingin areas vulnerable to erosion along river banks.
According to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Cao Van Trong, thelocality has focused on building concentratedresettlement areas, while calling on households living in dangerous zones alongrivers, coastal and canal areas to move to safe areas.
From 2015 to July 2019, local authorities spent 4.4 billion VND (189,662 USD) onrelocating 223 families livingin natural disaster-prone areas to safer zones; and helped constructand upgrade houses for 135 households in erosion areas with a budget of over1.3 billion VND.
Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development BuiVan Lam said the locality has 112 eroded sites along rivers and coasts witha total length of 19.4 km.
Last year, theprovince received 140 billion VND from the Government to repair two embankmentsto prevent erosion along rivers and upgrade another dyke along the coast.-VNA
VNA
