Built and put into use before 1975, up to now, apartment buildings A and B Dam market (Van Thanh ward, Nha Trang city) have seriously degraded. For many years, more than 260 households in these two apartment blocks have always lived in a state of anxiety and worry because the quality of the construction is no longer guaranteed.
Serious degradation
According to the reporter's observation, currently, the roof of the two apartment blocks A and B of Dam market has peeled off the concrete layer, revealing rusty iron frames. Many sections of the cement concrete railing have collapsed, people welded iron railings on; the wall behind the apartment is damp, ferns are growing wildly. The electricity and water systems here are also seriously degraded. Ms. Nguyen Thi Du (85 years old, retired cadre) has just finished "overhauling" her apartment on the 4th floor, at a cost of more than 200 million VND. Ms. Du said that the State arranged housing for her at Apartment A of Dam market since 1978. In the years after the country's liberation, life was difficult, so most of the people living in this apartment "increased production" by raising pigs and chickens. The cramped apartment and raising livestock led to serious pollution; the drainage system was clogged and broken; the brick walls were severely damaged and leaking water because people used firewood for cooking. Her house had to be repaired continuously. This time, she had to spend a large amount of money to deal with the water seepage problem, re-tile, and waterproof the kitchen and bathroom areas. In addition, the electrical wiring system in the apartment building was exposed and too old, so whenever it rained heavily, it would short-circuit, causing power outages; the water pipe system was also built a long time ago, broken, and water seeped into the walls.
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| The back of Apartment A is very shabby. |
In 2004, Mr. Le Van Minh - Head of the Civil Protection Department of Dam Market A Apartment bought an apartment on the ground floor to do business. Currently, the entire ceiling is leaking and peeling; long cracks appear on the walls. Every time it rains, Mr. Minh has to prepare dozens of basins to catch the water. "There were nights when people here heard the alarm, then saw the water pipes burst and flowed like a stream. Due to the old design, there was no main valve to cut off the water, so Khanh Hoa Water Supply and Drainage Joint Stock Company had to cut off the water in the entire area and then urgently repair it. In early July this year, the water here was also cut off for 3 days to repair the system, forcing people to run around to buy water for use...", Mr. Minh said.
Occupying the foot of the stairs as a living space
According to the reporter's investigation, currently, in the two apartment blocks A and B of Dam market, there is a situation where some residents arbitrarily occupy the common space at the foot of the stairs for trading, living and accommodation. Through inspection, the People's Committee of Van Thanh ward determined that Ms. Le Thi Thi occupied nearly 3m2 of the common area at the foot of the stairs of Apartment A as a place to live; Mr. Duong Quoc Viet and Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Thy Huong - each occupied about 6m2 at the foot of the stairs of Apartment A and Apartment B as a place to live, at the same time blocking the emergency exit of the apartment building.
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| Leaking roof at Apartment A of Mr. Le Van Minh. |
Mr. Trinh Ngoc Tam - Vice Chairman of Van Thanh Ward People's Committee said that these 3 households have lived at the foot of the stairs for more than 30 years. Previously, these households had difficult lives, so the residential group created conditions for them to live here. After that, the ward organized to mobilize these households to move to another place to ensure safety in fire fighting work, but they did not comply. Recently, Ms. Thi and Ms. Huong submitted a petition, considering allowing them to continue to stay, but the Ward People's Committee responded in writing disagreeing and requesting compliance with the relocation. On July 7, Nha Trang City People's Committee sent a document to the City Police, the Urban Management Department, and Van Thanh Ward People's Committee requesting urgent handling of households that arbitrarily occupied the common use area, affecting fire prevention and fighting work at Apartments A and B of Dam Market. The ward has drawn up a record, reported to the Urban Management Department to advise Nha Trang City People's Committee to take steps towards forcibly relocating these households.
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| Exposed electrical wiring systems that have been exposed for many years are prone to short circuits, causing power outages. |
According to Mr. Tam, Apartment A and B of Dam Market were built before 1975. These two apartment blocks are 4 stories high, including more than 260 apartments, with an average area of about 50m2 /apartment. After nearly 50 years of use, these two apartment blocks have now deteriorated, not ensuring the lives of the people. During meetings with voters, people have reported the deterioration of the apartments.
Renovate or build new?
According to residents’ feedback, in 2014-2015, households living in Apartment Buildings A and B of Dam Market received a survey form from Song Da Nha Trang Joint Stock Company regarding the demolition of these two apartment blocks to build new ones. Households will be resettled on-site in appropriate locations. However, it is estimated that only 1/3 of households agreed to demolish and build new ones.
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| The roof is peeling, revealing the rusty iron frame. |
On April 26, 2013, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 1048 approving the detailed planning 1/500 of Dam Market - Nha Trang. Accordingly, at the location of Apartment Block A, a new apartment building with a scale of 18 floors above ground and 1 parking floor will be built; at the location of Apartment Block B, a night market will be built to serve tourism and a parking lot. Since 2018, the Department of Construction has sent a document requesting Song Da Nha Trang Joint Stock Company (currently the investor of Dam Market - Nha Trang Project) to develop a plan to rebuild the apartment building, including: building height, number of floors, floor area, demolition plan of the old apartment building, capital source, implementation progress... However, Song Da Nha Trang Joint Stock Company believes that investing in construction according to the approved plan will not ensure the economic factors of the investor. Therefore, the company proposed to build 3 apartment buildings, including 2 blocks of 40 floors and 1 block of 26 floors with an area of up to 6,296m2 (encroaching on the land of parking lots, trees and night markets). The Department of Construction said that the plan did not have enough basis for approval because it was not consistent with the detailed planning scale of 1/500 of Dam Market - Nha Trang. Since then, the construction or renovation of Apartment Buildings A and B of Dam Market is still pending.
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| Apartment buildings A and B in Dam market are seriously degraded because they are too old. |
Mr. Tran Van Chau - Deputy Director of the Department of Construction said that the department is developing a plan to implement a project to inspect and re-evaluate the quality of works at a number of old and degraded apartment buildings in Nha Trang, with a total cost of nearly 400 million VND, to be implemented in 2023. After the inspection results are available, the Department of Construction will report to the Provincial People's Committee for comments on renovating and repairing degraded apartment buildings. However, according to the detailed planning 1/500 of Dam Market - Nha Trang, Block A will be built with an 18-storey apartment building, Block B will be built with a parking lot and a night market to serve tourism. Therefore, the Department of Construction will review the regulations, progress of planning implementation and ask for direction from the Provincial People's Committee on how to handle the deterioration of Apartment Buildings A and B of Dam Market.
Van Ky
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