Ensuring safety for residents in the dam area

(Baonghean) - This year, the rainy season comes later and according to forecasts, there is a possibility of heavy rain. Meanwhile, after a long period of drought, the risk of dam safety due to loose soil structure is very likely to occur. Ensuring the safety of people in the downstream area is an urgent requirement during the storm and flood season.

Don Hung Lake (Yen Thanh) has a capacity of over 5.4 million m3 of water, irrigating 380 hectares and providing water for daily life and flood prevention for people in 4 communes: Hung Thanh, Hau Thanh, Lang Thanh and Tien Thanh. Built in the 1960s, the lake is now degraded.

Don Hung Lake Dam is at risk of affecting a large residential area of ​​Yen Thanh district.

Mr. Le Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Northern Irrigation Company, said: Of the 17 reservoirs managed by the unit, there are currently 4 that have not been upgraded, namely Xuan Nguyen, Ke Sat, Don Hung (Yen Thanh) and Doi Tuong (Quynh Luu), but among them, Don Hung is the most dangerous, with the risk of the main dam breaking. Faced with these risks, in the flood prevention plan for Don Hung, in addition to measures such as closely monitoring all developments and preparing necessary plans, because Don Hung dam is assessed as a weak dam and needs to be proactive, we have directed that when the flood starts, Yen Thanh Irrigation Enterprise must arrange machinery and mechanical means on site to be ready to rescue the dam.

Mr. Le Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Northern Irrigation Company, answered reporters from Nghe An Newspaper about the safety issue for residents in the dam area.

These days, the work of upgrading and repairing the main dam bank and the spillway and upstream and downstream slopes of Khe Quanh Lake, Nghi Yen Commune (Nghi Loc) is being urgently carried out. Mr. Cao Van Niem, Deputy Director of the District Irrigation Enterprise, said: Although the capacity is only over 920 thousand m3, if the water over the spillway is too large or the lake breaks, it will threaten the safety of not only the residents in the area but also the safety of National Highway 1 and the North-South railway.

Overflow of Khe Quanh Lake, Nghi Yen, Nghi Loc.

In Nghi Loc district, there are 7 dams managed by the enterprise, of which Khe Go (Nghi Lam) has the largest capacity, over 5.3 million m3. Most of these dams were built a long time ago and are now degraded. The most dangerous is Khe Lang Lake (capacity 2.6 million m3 and irrigating 185 hectares) because it has not been upgraded, the downstream part is an earth dam, the flood resistance capacity is not high. Some other lakes such as Nghi Cong Lake, Khe Quanh Lake, Khe Thi Lake, Khe Xiem Lake are being invested in for repair and upgrading. In that situation, in the flood prevention plan, the plan to relocate residents is always built specifically and in detail for each household and each dam.

In Nam Loc (Nam Dan), in 2013, prolonged heavy rains caused the water flow through the spillway of Khe Da dam to flood the downstream area of ​​the dam, affecting nearly 250 households and schools in Nam Loc. With 250 households living in the downstream area, if the dam broke, the consequences would be unpredictable. In that situation, Nam Dan has repeatedly requested the province to upgrade and repair it, but due to financial difficulties, it has not been able to do so. Before this year's storm season, the district directed the commune to mobilize people to clear and remove obstacles across the spillway, dredge and clear the drainage system to ensure water drainage. In the flood prevention plan, a plan to relocate and evacuate residents in case of heavy rain and floods that could endanger the dam body has also been developed.

Nghe An has 625 dams, of which 60 are managed by enterprises. Because they were built decades ago, most of the dams pose potential safety risks during the rainy season, even though they have been upgraded and repaired. Meanwhile, due to their “history”, some households live in unsafe areas, even in prohibited areas according to regulations on the protection and exploitation of irrigation works.

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Van, Deputy Head of the Provincial Irrigation Department, after a long period of drought, there is almost no humidity in the dam body, if it rains, the possibility of landslides is very high. In addition, termites and caves in the dam body are also a risk, if it rains heavily with a frequency of 300 - 500 ly or more, landslides are very likely to occur. To ensure the safety of people living downstream of dams, at all dams managed by companies and localities, the flood prevention plan has a specific plan for relocating residents. In addition to the two deep spillways, Song Sao and Vuc Mau, the province has proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve a separate scenario.

Phu Huong