Local residents volunteer to guard flooded river banks

Floods hit the banks of the Cong River which runs through Van Phai Village, washing away a 40 metre long stretch of the banks. Traffic has been blocked.

Local residents believe one of the reasons was the already weakened river bank was made more vulnerable by the uncontrolled taking of sand from along the river.

Local authorities have implemented some measures to alleviate the adverse impact of the collapsed river bank. However, this area has been severely harmed.

Nguyen Thanh Nam, Chief of Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search & Rescue in Thai Nguyen Province, said: "We have come here to see the impact of the incident with our eyes. We are highly aware of the threat it poses to people’s lives. We have asked the provincial authority for funding to help locals resolve the problem".

While that funding has yet to come, local people have voluntarily taken turn to guard the place to warn people travelling along the route.

Tran Duc, resident in Van Phai village, said: "We stand here to warn people about the danger. This helps save people from falling into the river".

This initiative is commendable but not a long-term solution. As flooding this year is unpredictable and hard to deal with, local authorities are working to come up with sound solutions.