The Northwest region will suffer many dangerous natural disasters

Earthquakes, landslides, flash floods, pipe floods . are dangerous natural disasters that will often occur in some provinces of Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Yen Bai, Hoa Binh and Lao Cai.

This is the announcement of scientists when implementing the project ' Investigation of natural resource and environment functional subdivision; propose solutions for sustainable socio-economic development in the Northwestern Region "by the Center for Environment and Territorial Organization of Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations .

Complex tectonic movements

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Dich Da, Center for Environment and Territorial Organization, 6 provinces of North West North of Vietnam are very specific for a destructive area that crushes, repels and raises very strongly. The largest elevation margin in our country plus neo-tectonic movements make the hilly and mountainous terrain differentiated very complex. Therefore, this is the main cause of many dangerous geological hazards.

Highway 32 of Ba Khe section was destroyed due to flash floods - mud and mud flood on September 27, 2005.(Photo: Phuong Nguyen)

There are 12 major types of geodiversity that can occur, including earthquakes, operational faults, geological surveying related to geophysical fields, ecological geochemical disasters, landslides, soil cracking, lightning strikes, flash floods, pipe flooding, river bank erosion, mineral exploitation hazards. ' Among these disasters, the most dangerous is earthquake' , said Dao Van Thinh, Institute of Geology and Environment, Vietnam Geological Society.

In the past, there were two strongest earthquakes in the Northwest. It was an earthquake in 1935 in Southeastern Dien Bien Phu city, intensity of 6.75 Richter scale and in 1983 in North East the Tuan Giao town with a magnitude of 6.7 richter. The most recent was the earthquake on February 19, 2001 in Dien Bien with Ms = 5.3 richter scale.

Another type of disaster is also thought by scientists to be dangerous after an earthquake . Areas considered high risk include: Lung Po-Bat Xat, Muong Te - Dien Bien, Pa Tan - Lai Chau, Southeast of Lai Chau, Nghia Lo, Thanh Son - Hoa Binh, Lao Cai - Sapa and vertical provinces. National road 32, 12 (Lai Chau-Dien Bien), Highway 127 (Muong Te - Lai Chau), along Highway 6 (Tuan Giao - Lai Chau, Thuan Chau - Pha Din), Song Ma district, Son La province, Nam Moc Chau and Nam Nghia Lo.

According to survey and survey documents of the Central Hydrometeorological Forecast Center, from 1953 to 2004, there were at least 317 flash floods in the country. In particular, the Northwest region is the most happening place in Vietnam. According to incomplete statistics, from 1958 to 2002, 97 flash floods and 5 floods were recorded. Flash floods appeared more and more, flash floods flooded, with great destructive power. Only in the last 15 years, the number of people died on 965 people, injured on 628 people.

Areas with high potential of flash flooding are along Nam Na, Nam Cu, Nam Bum (Muong Te), Nam Rom, Tuan Giao, Binh Lu, Tua Chua, Thuan Chau and Van Ban.

Research on geological hazards - poor

Although the types of geodiversity are always lurking to rob people of life and wealth, only earthquakes are the earliest and most fully studied forms of land survey. Meanwhile, there are types of catastrophes such as landslides, rock falls, rock falls (collectively referred to as landslides) that are strongly and widely spread in the Northwestern region. The impact of landslide hazard is very large in terms of material, life and psychology of the community living in the area.

An earthquake just happened (Photo: Nhu Y)

Even so, studies about it are still very few. So far, there has been only one synthesis project in the lake and peripheral areas of Son La hydropower reservoir which is about to be built and some other small and odd studies.'There is no mention of zoning of landslide forecasting for the entire Northwest region,' said Dr. Thinh.

The scientists also proposed to investigate the details of geological survey in areas along the national highway 4D from Lao Cai town to Lai Chau town, along highway 12 from Lai Chau town to Dien Bien city, along the highway. 32, area around Son La, Hoa Binh and Thac Ba hydropower reservoirs, Phong Tho - Tam Duong new urban area and resettlement areas due to construction of Son La hydropower project.

In addition, it is necessary to study in detail the areas of ecological geochemistry, surface erosion and study the effects of some major faults in the Northwest region.

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