Ca Mau seeks gov’t fund to resettle households in disaster–prone areas

Ca Mau (VNA) - The People’s Committee of the southernmost province of Ca Mau has asked the Government for 1.4 trillion VND (60.2 million USD) to relocate families living in natural disaster-prone areas to new residential areas built in 2016-2025.

The province immediately wants 140 billion VND (6 million USD) to resettle 646 families in erosion-prone areas along rivers and coasts in Nam Can, Ngoc Hien and Dam Doi districts to new residential areas and help stabilise their lives and livelihoods in the new places.

The amount will be used to build four new resettlement areas. One of them will be in hamlets 1 and 2 in Nam Can town at a cost of 32 billion VND, and it will accommodate 52 households.  

Another will be in Ngoc Hien district’s Dat Mui commune at a cost of 58 billion VND, where 270 families will be moved.  

The two others will be built in Nam Can district’s Tam Giang commune and Dam Doi district with investment of 18 billion VND and 32 billion VND, where accommodate 108 families and 216 households, respectively.

With the sea bordering it on three sides and having many rivers and canals, the province is frequently affected by natural disasters, especially erosion.

Early this month heavy rains and winds flattened 156 houses and blew off the roofs of 817 houses and one school, according to the province’s Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Research and Rescue.

Besides, during the period high tides flooded 1,845 houses, 2,540 rural roads and 100ha of summer-autumn rice, erosion along rivers damage six houses and two fishing boats were sunk by strong winds and waves.

Total economic losses were estimated at 32 billion VND (1.38 million USD), according to the steering committee.

Last week, the provincial People’s Committee announced there had been serious erosion along the sea dyke on the west coast and took measures to consolidate it.-VNA