The People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province asked EVN to allocate VND2.5 billion (USD119,000) to help Bac Tra My District to deal with consequences of recent earthquakes.
Many public works in Bac Tra My District had been damaged by consecutive earthquakes. Photo by Ktdt
By November 6th, 856 houses and eight public works in the district had been damaged or seriously affected by consecutive earthquakes; the figure does not include the fallout of the 4.7 earthquake on November 15.
The provincial People’s Committee also recommended that EVN support Bac Tra My District with VND505 million (USD24,000) for a water supply system and the building of 10 wells for residential use. The firm was also asked to give financial assistance of VND692.7 million (USD32,950) for the repairing of roads in the district.
At a meeting with the provincial officials on November 20, Vice Chairman of Bac Tra My District People’s Committee Tran Anh Tuan called on EVN for early support to help the locals to repair their homes.
“Local residents haven't received any financial assistance so far to deal with the impacts of the earthquake. Without timely support, there is a stronger possibility that any future earthquakes could cause more damage and threaten safety," he added.
Dr. Nguyen Hong Phuong, Deputy Director of the Global Physics Institute’s Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Centre, said more earthquakes with stronger intensity may continue to occur around the plant in the next few years. He added that local authorities should have plans to evacuate the area near the Tranh River 2 hydropower.
Earlier, Vu Huy Hoang, Minister of Industry and Trade, said he will work with EVN to solve problems that are not just specific to Song Tranh 2, but are shared by other hydropower plants in Quang Nam. Hoang further said that since the safety of Song Trang 2's dam remains uncertain, the Government will not allow the further storage of water while the monitoring process is ongoing.