A resettlement area in Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province. (Source: baolamdong.vn)

Lam Dong (VNA) – Lac Duong District in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has resettled local ethnic minority groups, stopping them from leading nomadic lives, which had been a threat to the Lang Biang Biophere Reserve.

The district’s People’s Committee built two resettlement areas in Da Nhim hamlet in Da Nhim commune, and Dung K’Si hamlet in Da Chais commune, intending to provide accommodation to 190 ethnic minority households.

The resettlement area in Da Nhim hamlet was funded with 21.7 billion VND (956,000 USD) from the State budget. The money was used to build houses for 90 households on 7.5 hectares of land, with each house on a piece of land from 300 to 400 sq.m as well as build 2 kilometres of roads and a water supply system.

Phase 1 of the resettlement project in Da Nhim hamlet lies on the side of pine hills. Ko Sa Ha Dinh, one of 57 heads of households allocated land to build houses, is completing his wooden house on an area of 400 sq.m.

“In the past I lived with my family in a cramped house and we have low income, so we qualified to receive land from the project. I am happy because our new house has all we need,” Ko Sa Ha Dinh said.

Phase 1 of the project in Dung K’Si in Da Chais commune has a total investment of 10 billion VND and provides accommodation for 47 households spanning an area of 2.4 hectares.

Bon To Ha Thu, from the Cil ethnic minority group, completed his main house and is completing his storage house with help from young people in the village.

“In the past, my family lived on the other side of the stream. After the government built the resettlement area, we decided to move in here because it has all basic amenities like roads, electricity and water,” Ha Thu said.

“In the past, most people led nomadic lives, when the area was built, they were very happy. Besides the main building, they all have facilities like toilets and storage houses. Their children now go to school as well,” said Ko Dong Ha Quyen, Da Chais’ Party’s Committee Secretary.

According to Trinh Hoai Nam, Director of the Centre for Management and Exploitation of Public Facilities, the investor of the two projects, said the provision of all necessary amenities made ethnic minority people move into the two resettlement areas voluntarily.

The district will not reclaim land and houses from households who moved into the resettlement areas.

“The big success of the projects was people’s consensus and the projects met people’s requirements, so they eagerly supported and made efforts to create a stable life there,” Chairman of the Lac Duo🍨ng People’s Committee Pham Trieu said.-VNA