Mekong Delta urged to haste on flood-proof homes

HANOI, 25 March (VNA) - The Ministry of Construction has urged authorities in Mekong Delta provinces to speed up construction of flood-proof residential clusters to relocate people living in flood-and erosion-prone areas. The programme has not been progressing as rapidly as expected, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tran Nam told a conference to review its second stage of the programme in Cao Lanh town, southern Dong Thap province last week. He said raising of the foundations of eight clusters in Dong Thap and Vinh Long provinces, and Can Tho city had not been completed. In An Giang, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, and Hau Giang provinces, 15,000 additional houses planned for the programme had not been built, affecting progress, he said. He urged local authorities to focus on the these projects so that the foundations could be raised, embankments built by the second quarter of this year, and people moved out of flood-prone areas by the end of this year. He called for drafting regulations to manage and ensure environmental and hygiene standards at clusters which are already occupied. According to figures released at the meeting, more than 35,500 families threatened by floods and erosion have been moved into flood-proof clusters and elevated areas or embankments. These are among 55,463 households identified as residing in flood- and erosion-prone areas in the delta, and 177 projects to resettle them are under way in eight provinces. Of them 76.6 percent have clean water supply and 87.5 percent have power supply. These flood-proof clusters had enabled locals to minimise losses during the annual flood season, Nam said. The ministry also encouraged residents living in temporary shelters in flood-proof clusters to build their own houses using plans approved under the programme. In the first phase of the programme (2001 – 2005) around 1,000 clusters to house 150,000 families were built on a total area of 3,000ha in the provinces of Long An, An Giang, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, and Hau Giang and Can Tho city. In the second phase a further 178 are being built to resettle 52,000 households.-VNA