Flood shelters constructed for residents in central provinces have proven effective, so there is no need to relocate poor people living in flood-prone areas, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tran Nam said. Under a project initiated by the Prime Minister last year, such shelters would be built for 700 poor households in 14 communes in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Phu Yen. Construction of each shelter costs an estimated 30 million VND (1,400 USD), including 10 million VND from the State budget and 10 million VND from bank loans with an interest rate of 3% per year. The rest of the sum comes from local residents. Nam said that while the capital was small, it would serve as a precondition to attract more resources and get local people to participate in building shelters. Many households got loans to build bigger and more beautiful shelters, he said. In a two-day field trip to central Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces, a Ministry of Construction delegation found that the shelter project had made impressive progress. Ha Tinh was the first province to complete the program as scheduled with completed shelters for 100 households in three flood-prone communes. Vice Chairman of the provincial people’s Committee Le Dinh Son said the project is vital for local people, so the province is determined to complete it before last year’s flood season. Around 60,000 poor households and 30,000 near-poor households are living in flood prone areas in 14 central coastal provinces from Thanh Hoa to Binh Thuan, according to a ministry survey. (Quan Doi Nhan Dan –People’s Army Mar 7)
