A 30m-long section of concrete road that collapsed into the Krong No River in Nam N'Dir Commune. — Vietnam News
DAK NONG: At least six severe landslide locations have been reported on farmland in Nam N'Dir Commune in Krong No District in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong in the past few months.
This situation has posed a significant threat to numerous local transportation and infrastructure projects, as well as the supply of water to over 1,000ha of farmland for the upcoming spring-winter crop.
The People's Committee of Nam N'Dir Commune and the Krong No District’s Section of Agriculture and Rural Development said that over the last few months, several road sections and irrigation canals have been eroded and collapsed into the Krong No River.
These structures, located between 15-20m from the Krong No River’s edge, were built approximately ten years ago.
At the first landslide in Nam Ninh Hamlet in Nam N'Dir Commune, around 30m of the concrete road alongside the river have been broken, and several sections of it have eroded into the river.
Traffic has been blocked, and there is also a risk of a nearby irrigation canal collapsing into the river at any moment.
Local authorities said this was the most serious landslide location on the Nam N'Dir farmland.
Currently, the total length of the riverside road at risk of erosion is approximately 200m.
Local authorities said that if appropriate solutions were not implemented promptly, agricultural activities through this road would be disrupted during the upcoming spring-winter crop season.
The second landslide is situated in Nam Giao Hamlet in Nam N'Dir Commune. A section of the irrigation canal to the farmland eroded and collapsed into the river. Additionally, various parts of the footpath alongside the river have eroded away.
Similarly, at the third landslide situated between Nam Giao and Nam Ninh hamlets in Nam N'Dir Commune, dozens of metres of irrigation canals are at risk of collapsing into the Krong No River. A pump station located nearby is also in danger.
Doan Gia Loc, head of the district’s Section of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that apart from the three landslide sites, there were three other severe landslide locations on Nam N'Dir farmland. These sites have also experienced severe erosion but do not directly border roads or irrigation canals that serve the farmland.
Regarding the causes of the landslide situation, the People's Committee of Krong No District reported that there were many factors, including natural water flow, the geological weakness of the riverbank soil - primarily sandy soil, prolonged heavy rainfall, the operation of hydro-electric power plants causing the river water level to rise consistently at high levels, and the impact of sand mining activities.
The committee has recommended that relevant agencies promptly conduct a detailed survey to identify the specific causes of these landslides and propose timely solutions and recommendations.
It has asked the People's Committee of Nam N'Dir commune to urgently install warning signs in landslide-prone areas.
The committee has proposed the provincial people's committee allocate funds for temporary measures to address landslides, protect essential infrastructure, and maintain stable irrigation for farming during the upcoming spring-winter crop.
In the long term, the district has proposed that the provincial people's committee request allocation of the State budget for a riverbank landslide prevention project.
The Krong No River flows through six communes in Krong No district in Dak Nong Province, with a total length of over 50km.
In 2020, the province invested in two landslide prevention projects along the Krong No River with a total budget of VND60bil (US$2.68mil). The two projects are expected to limit landslides, protect production areas and households on both sides of the river, and ensure traffic safety on National Highway No 28. — Vietnam News/ANN
