The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap still has 13,000 families livingin flood-prone areas that need to be relocated as part of a state-runprogramme that has been carried out since 2001, according to theprovince's Department of Construction.

More than 50,000 familiesin the province have already been relocated into flood-proof residentialclusters over the last 13 years.

With their new houses,residents have been protected during the Mekong Delta's flood season,which usually lasts about four months.

This year, the flood season began in July, one month earlier than normal.

DangVan Tuan, who lives in a flood-proof residential area in Tan Hongdistrict, said in the past he had to stay up many nights to check risingwater levels to move his family out in time.

Tuan and his family, who once lived in a makeshift house in Tan Hong's Binh Phu commune, moved to the cluster in 2012.

"Now it is fine. My house is solid and the roads are good. I can now focus on work to provide for my family," he said.

Tuansaid he had finished harvesting his rice and was now catching fish andshrimp brought by rising water levels in his rice fields.

Locatedupstream and in a low-lying area in the Mekong Delta, Dong Thap has thelargest number of flood-proof residential clusters of any site in thecountry.

The state-run programme completed its first phase in 2007 and is now in its second phase.

DinhXuan Hoang, Deputy Director of the province's Department ofConstruction, said the province had built 53 flood-proof residentialclusters in the second phase.

Fifty of those have been completed and the remaining three are expected to be completed this month.

Theprovince has approved new flood-proof housing for 12,444 families, or87 percent of families targeted under the second phase. Of thosefamilies, more than 7,800 families have already moved to the residentialclusters.

In the provinces' Thap Muoi district, localauthorities have relocated more than 96 percent of families intoflood-proof residential clusters.

Dinh Minh Dung, DeputyChairman of the Thap Muoi People's Committee, said the district hadbuilt flood-proof residential clusters in areas near markets and urbanareas with suitable locations.

Le Minh Hoan, Secretary of theprovince's Party Committee, said the housing situation had been solvedbut jobs must be created in the areas where residents have relocated.

Overthe past years, Dong Thap's districts have begun several programmes tocreate jobs in and near flood-proof residential clusters. These includedagricultural cooperatives and classes in handicraft-making.

Families in flood-proof residential clusters have also been provided soft loans to do business.-VNA