The appearance of 10 sinkholes in sweet corn fields in the province has been worrying locals for a month, but scientists say is a normal phenomenon in the karst area.
One among 10 sinkholes found near Ho Ho power plant.
The sinkholes appeared at a distance of 1km from the reservoir of the Ho Ho power plant in Huong Hoa Commune.
Each hole is some 50sq.m. wide, 2-6m deep and shaped like a cylinder.
“These worried locals a lot. For a month now, they linked these holes to supernatural phenomenon,” Nguyen Thi Thao, the commune’s chairwoman, said. Thao, therefore, wanted related agencies to study the cause to relieve locals’ worries.
The sinkholes run along the outlet stream of the reservoir and have been developing gradually since a month now.
Following an investigation trip to the area, Nguyen Duc Ly, director of the local Department of Sciences and Technology said the sinkholes were created due to normal topographical movements.
“This is normal phenomenon and has been recorded in other regions in Việt Nam. It is not unusual in the karst area at this locality,” Ly said.
He warned that although the holes would take time to gradually sink, locals should avoid jumping inside them to avoid dangerous and swift sinking.
Ly told locals to fill the holes with soil to continue their cultivation.
However, he promised a detail report to the province authorities and asked them to install a fence around the holes to prevent unexpected accidents to locals and their cattle.
Also, according to Ly, there was no evidence to prove any link between the sinkholes and the Ho Ho power plant.
VNS