Villagers relocate for water project
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In another village, people were informed of the relocation plan years ago. The growth of the village has remained practically frozen ever since. New houses in the village are in a dreadful state. Some are supported by a piece of wood to prevent the walls from collapsing.
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A family in Xichuan County before the relocation. [File photo] |
Many young people are excited about the relocation, but some older people are reluctant to move. In the 1980s, the government offered only a small subsidy to the migrants. Many villagers, like Wan, had to build houses all by themselves.
"It was too dreadful," a villager said.
Liupi Town, Hubei, will be totally inundated when the water level of Danjiangkou Reservoir is raised. Many farmers are worried by this news because they don't know if they can continue farming in their new towns. Furthermore, many of them had obtained bank loans to get started; should they continue to repay them even if their lands are deep under water? How would they pay it when people are relocated to different places and the local banks are closed?State and provincial governments offered each migrant a compensation package and preferential policies to help them start new businesses. But some migrants found the compensations were not the same for everyone.
Those living in the reservoir area will receive 600 yuan (US$87) in annual subsidy more than those living along the canal, in addition to the one-off compensation fee.
Zhang Jirao, director of the project construction committee under the State Council, said the different compensations were set to help people deal with different problems after relocation.
