VnnNews – After clearing unexploded bombs from their land, residents in Quang Tri Province start a new life.
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A family enjoys the safety of their new house in Con Trung resettlement village in Cam Loc District in central Quang Tri Province. The resettlement programme in the contaminated areas has received a lot of support from local residents. |
Unexploded bombs and explosives (UXO) are no longer an obsession for Nguyen Quang Dung, a resident from Con Trung Village in central Quang Tri Province.
Dung and his wife now feel safe living in an area where UXOs, which were left from the American War, at one time were littered under the ground.
“I was really scared,” Dung said. “I have seen many villagers become disabled and injured because of the bombs,” Dung said.
“Most of them were just working in fields or walking around, and now they have become a burden to their families, instead of moneymakers”, he said.
Dung eventually left the province and moved to Hue City, which is about 70km away from his hometown, for vocational training in order to get a better job and have a safer life.
But that’s in the past now. With support from the German Solidarity Service International (SODI), Dung and his family now live on safe land with a beautiful 40sq.m house and 760sq.m garden. They currently raise pepper trees and pigs to make a living.
They supplement their income by selling wooden handicrafts. According to Dung, the family can earn up to VND5 million (US$270) per month by selling the crafts.
But Dung’s family isn’t the only beneficiary from the SODI project, 65 other households have also been resettled and receive the same assistance.
“Our life has been remarkably improved. We have clean water, kindergartens, community houses for festivals, and clean air and large playgrounds for our children,” said Le Thi Dien, a resident from Con Trung Village.
“Being safe use to be my biggest concern, but now I want to focus on escaping poverty and making money,” Dien said, who know has made enough money to make repairs on her home.
Richard Hartmann, SODI’s programme manager, said the total capital investment for this resettlement village was VND2.7 billion ($145,900). The money was used to clear UXOs from the area and to construct houses, gardens, roads, electrical systems and other facilities.
“It took almost one year to clear out all UXOs in this 72 hectare area and more than two years to finish all of the construction projects,” Hartmann said. “It’s hard to believe that people lived in this place before.”
According to Hartmann, the SODI gave VND23 million ($1.277) to each household, so that they could build homes (VND 15 million), dig wells and install septic tanks (VND 2.5 million) and to purchase agricultural supplies (VND 3 million).
Ho Viet Hung, SODI’s project manager, said the company began its UXO clearance and resettlement projects in Quang Tri Province in 1998.
“Quang Tri is the most UXO contaminated area in the country, which is estimated to have 63kg of unexploded devices per square metre that kill 2,000 people annually. It’s very important to clear these areas and help people improve their lives,” Hung said.
According to Hung, the SODI has managed to clear out more than 86,340 bombs and land mines on the 939ha of land, which now houses the three resettlement villages.
Currently there are 54 new households in Phuong Coi Village in Cam Lo District, 100 households in Tan Dinh Village in Trieu Phong District and 65 households in Con Trung Village in Cam Lo District.
SODI has also built four kindergartens and nursery schools in order to serve the people on their ‘new’ land, Hung said.
Nguyen Duc Chinh, the provincial’s People’s Committee’s vice chairman, said that SODI is the first organisation to conduct a UXO clearance and resettlement pilot programme in the contaminated areas.
“To date, non-governmental organisations have completed the construction of five resettlement villages for more than 500 households and built 300 new houses with additional financial aid for 320 war victims,” Chinh said.
“This model seems to have a lot of support from local residents. I hope that more programmes will be conducted and carried out in the province to help people add stability to their lives, and rid the provinces of bombs and mines,” Chinh said.
According to Hung, similar projects are being carrying out in Thua Thien Hue and Nghe An provinces this year with financial support from the German Government and SODI.
“The final purpose of the project is to overcome the consequences of war and help people live a better life,” Hung said.
VNN/VNS
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