The master plan is being prepared in line with the Prime Minister’s Decision No.257/QĐ-TTg which approves anti-flood and dyke planning for the Red and Thai Binh river systems.

The Ha Noi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Viet Nam Institute of Water Resources have been tasked with drafting the master plan, which is estimated to cost VND 56.9 trillion (US$2.5 billion).

An estimated 1900 households have to be relocated from flood storage areas, which will cover 4,568ha on the Red River banks.

Over 6.7km of the Red River dyke runs through the capital city’s Thanh Tri district. Three communes in the district, Yen My, Duyen Ha and Van Phuc, covering 1,258ha and comprising 6100 households, are squarely located in the river’s flood storage area.

This has meant that several buildings in the communes, both Government offices and residences, cannot be built anew despite their dilapidated condition. Only repairs and maintenance work can be carried out on these buildings, said Dang Duc Quynh, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Tri district People’s Committee.

Similarly, in Hoan Kiem district’s Phuc Tan and Chuong Duong ward, 45,000 people live in the Red River flood drainage zone. However, due to their location outside the dykes, the granting of construction permits requires compliance with special regulations, especially those that deal with construction in the Red River flood drainage corridor.

Many houses in this area are so badly damaged that they have to be rebuilt urgently, but owners are only allowed to carry out repairs. The legal complexities in obtaining building permits and requirements for rebuilding have made the lives of residents very difficult and are a headache for local authorities./.

By Khanh Phuong