20 houses destroyed by clay mine in northern Vietnam
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 16:47 GMT+7
Twenty houses on a hill in Ha Long, the capital city of Quang Ninh Province in northern Vietnam, were seriously damaged by the operations of a clay mine below them to the extent that their owners were forced to relocate.
The clay mine in question is located under Ten Lua Hill in Ha Long City’s Gieng Day Ward and owned by Gieng Day Construction Ceramic Joint Stock Company.
Among the affected houses is one belonging to Nguyen Thi Chon.
Chon said she worked hard, saved up for more than a decade, took out a loan, and borrowed from relatives to build the four-story house at a cost of VND1.5 billion (US$61,200) in 2019.
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| A large crack cuts a house in two on Ten Lua Hill in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. Photo: H. Nga / Tuoi Tre |
However, Chon’s house is sinking and is in danger of collapsing, forcing her and her family to move to a rented house far away, turning their life upside down.
Chon had no choice but to quit her job to have time to take her children to school now that the route is longer than before.
“Now that my house is not liveable and I have to quit my job while still having VND800 million [$32,640] in unpaid loans, my family feel like we are sitting above a bomb, without knowing when our lives will return to normal,” Chon said.
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| This bird’s-eye view shows two damaged houses located above an active clay mine on Ten Lua Hill in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. Photo: H. Nga / Tuoi Tre |
The house owned by Vu Thi Chinh, Chon’s neighbor, has been divided into two parts through a giant crack measuring 20-30cm in width, forcing the family to rent a house in another place.
Some other houses on Ten Lua Hill were completely ravaged, according to Nguyen Huu Nha, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee of Ha Long.
Nha said inspection results showed that the operations of Gieng Day Construction Ceramic Joint Stock Company’s clay mine had affected 20 houses on the hill for a long time, and the situation was exacerbated by the stormy weather in August.
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| Nguyen Thi Chon’s house is seriously damaged on Ten Lua Hill in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. Photo: H. Nga / Tuoi Tre |
Local authorities thus made the affected households relocate at the end of the same month with a support of nearly VND460 million ($18,770) from the construction ceramic company.
At the same time, the firm contracted the Institute of Geotechnical and Construction Engineering to assess the extent of destruction over the area and its causes.
The firm is required to submit a report to the authorities by October 30.
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