Pan Spring in Hat Lot township of Mai Son district, the northern mountainous province of Son La, has been in full spate, flooding tens of local houses (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Heavy downpours and floods in northern mountainous andCuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces over the past days have wreaked havoc.
As rain is forecast tocontinue in the coming days, flash floods and landslides are predicted,according to the National Centre for Hydro-MeteorologicalForecasting.
According to reports from northern provinces of Bac Kan, Hoa Binh, Dien Bien,Son La, Thai Nguyen, central province of Thanh Hoa and Mekong Delta province ofLong An, as of August 30 morning, downpour and floods made 124 houses collapseand inundated 174ha of paddy fields.
Nearly 5,000cu.m of rocks and soil have eroded. Falling rocks killed atwo-year-old girl in Hoa Binh province’s Mai Chau district, while one personwent missing and three others were injured.
Dien Bien province, one of the hardest hit, had 700 landslide spots.
Three communes’ headquarters have been flooded by half a metre of mud. Totallosses in the province have so far reached 120 billion VND (5.2 million USD).
The Directorate of Water Resources has warned that water levels in Mekong Deltalocalities might exceed level 3, the highest warning level. Floods arepredicted to affect 165,200ha of autumn-winter rice crops in provinces locatedin the upstream of the river such as Dong Thap, Kien Giang, An Giang and LongAn.
Six mountainous districts in central Nghe An province – Ky Son, Tuong Duong,Con Cuong, Que Phong, Quy Chau and Quy Hop - are at risk of landslides andflashfloods, according to the centre.
As of August 30 morning, eroded roads connecting communes in the province hadnot been repaired. Cracks on National Highway No 7 caused by heavy rainsbetween August 16 and 23 have not been repaired and are predicted to encroachupon a larger area.
The National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention has orderedsafety measures to be taken in the Mekong Delta provinces of An Giang and KienGiang to protect structures located by the rivers and dykes, as the Tra Su andTha La dams release water on August 31.
Localities in northern mountainous areas must mobilise forces to address theconsequences of floods, especially recovering 12 landslide spots in Dien Bien provinceand eight others in Son La province.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered mobilising equipment for northernLai Chau province to respond to natural disasters including 506 tents, ninepower generators and six boats.
According to the National Centre for Hydro-MeteorologicalForecasting, heavy downpours will last until today in northern mountainousprovinces with high volume of up to 150mm in 24 hours in Dien Bien, Lai Chauand Lao Cai. The water levels of the Luc Nam, Thuong, Cau and Ca rivers arealso rising.-VNS/VNA
