MARD urges response plans for landslides and floods triggered by heavy rain

A landslide on the National Highway No6 in Chiềng Hắc Commune, Mộc Châu District in Sơn La Province on Sunday. VNA/VNS Photo

NGHỆ AN – All northern, north-central areas, central highlands and southern areas have been ordered to carry out round-the-clock work in response plans following heavy rainfall, which poses risk of landslides and floods.

The Department of Dike Management and Natural Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has requested that the localities particularly Ninh Bình, Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh provinces make themselves ready.

To proactively respond to the remnants of Storm No4, the department has urged cities and provinces along the Mekong River to review flood and landslide prevention measures. Coastal provinces and cities are advised to prepare for strong winds, large waves and thunderstorms at sea.

In the northern region, local authorities must ensure the safety of dikes and address damage caused by Storm Yagi and post-storm flooding. This includes locating missing persons, cleaning up affected areas and stabilising the lives of local residents.

All cities and provinces must maintain day and night monitoring and regularly report to the department.

As of 5pm on Sunday, the remnants of Storm No4 and associated flooding have resulted in two deaths in Nghệ An Province, and three people are missing due to being swept away by floods in Nghệ An and Sơn La provinces.

In Mộc Châu District in Sơn La Province, at approximately 2pm on Sunday, a landslide occurred at Km201+900 on National Highway 6 in Chiềng Hắc Commune. Large rocks from the hillside fell and hit a truck and a car moving along the curve toward Hà Nội-Sơn La. The landslide caused the truck to overturn and the car to be damaged. Eight people in the two vehicles sustained minor injuries.

Earlier, at around 11am on the same day, another landslide occurred at Km204+250 on National Highway 6, where a large mass of soil and rocks blocked half of the road.

The local authority in Trung Lý Commune and border soldiers evacuate students at landslide-prone areas to safe places.

In Mường Lát District in Thanh Hoá Province, heavy rain caused landslides on several transportation routes. Specifically, along National Highway 15C, multiple landslides were reported in Trung Lý, Nhi Sơn, Pù Nhi and Mường Lát Town, leading to traffic been halted.

On Provincial Road 521E, landslides in Quang Chiểu and Mường Chanh communes caused soil and rocks to spill onto the road. At various river crossings, water levels rose to nearly one metre, preventing residents and vehicles from passing.

In particular, in Mường Chanh Commune, floodwaters from the upstream Laos border caused the water level in Xim Stream to rise significantly, flooding Provincial Road 521E and temporarily halting traffic. The flooding also temporarily isolated nine villages in the commune. All four overflow bridges leading to residential areas were submerged by over one metre of water, with some spots seeing water levels nearly two metres above the bridges.

The Mường Lát District People's Committee has urgently relocated over 200 households to safer areas.

Landslides were also reported on the only road from Nga My commune centre in Tương Dương District to villages in the buffer zone of the Pù Huống Nature Reserve in Nghệ An Province. High floodwaters swept away a temporary wooden bridge on the 20-kilometre road, cutting off access to over 150 households, all of whom are Thai ethnic minorities in Na Ngân village.

In Phúc Sơn Commune in Anh Sơn District, landslides and deep flooding occurred along Provincial Road 534C, which connects the commune centre to the border villages of Cao Vều 1, 2, 3, and 4. These villages are home to nearly 400 households and more than 1,340 people, mostly of the Thai ethnic group.

The villages in Tam Hợp Commune have been completely isolated due to rising water levels in rivers and streams. Local authorities have quickly relocated households at high risk of landslides to safer areas.

Inspection of disaster recovery efforts 

On Sunday evening, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Minister Lê Minh Hoan, visited Nguyên Bình District in Cao Bằng Province to inspect the recovery efforts.

The delegation conducted on-site inspections and assessed the situation at landslide-affected areas in Lũng Lỳ village and Lũng Súng village in Nguyên Bình District. These landslides completely buried 12 houses, resulting in the deaths of 20 people.

Hoan urged the provincial authorities to closely monitor the weather and proactively respond to prevent further incidents. He stressed the need for maintaining round-the-clock monitoring at high-risk landslide and flood-prone areas to ensure timely intervention.

The province was also encouraged to accelerate recovery efforts to help residents return to their normal lives as soon as possible.

Regarding agricultural, rural, and farming issues, the ministry is committed to providing solutions to support the province in rebuilding livelihoods and stabilising production for the affected communities.

The remnants of Storm Yagi caused heavy rains, landslides and flooding in Cao Bằng, resulting in 55 deaths, 19 injuries and two missing. In addition, 2,239 homes were damaged, nearly 2,100 hectares of rice and crops were submerged, and thousands of livestock and poultry were killed or swept away. Several residential areas were cut off and major transportation routes sustained severe damage.

Hoan presented VNĐ400 million to Ca Thành and Yên Lạc communes to support disaster recovery efforts. He also visited and offered condolences and assistance to the 12 families who lost loved ones in the landslides. – VNS