Relocation of Ban Mong Reservoir: Need to speed up progress

(Baonghean) - On October 12, 2014, the Ban Mong Reservoir Project was restarted with the investment project of the auxiliary dam, drainage canal and drainage canal connecting Chau Binh Reservoir. This is a key and urgent project, expected to be completed within 12 months. To ensure progress, the prerequisite is still to complete the resettlement work...

At this time, the officials of Chau Binh commune (Quy Chau) are focusing on the relocation and resettlement work to hand over the site to implement the project items of the investment in auxiliary dams, drainage canals and canals of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project. According to Vice Chairman of Chau Binh Commune People's Committee Le Van Toan, besides the joy because the project has started, there is some concern in the relocation and resettlement of 168 households; of which, 60 households, belonging to villages 3-2, Hoa Binh, Binh 1, Lau 1..., will be affected by the auxiliary dam system, drainage canals and canals; about 108 households in Binh Quang village will be flooded by Ban Mong reservoir.

The area for implementing the drainage canal of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project in Chau Binh commune has been cleared.

From 2004-2005, information about the Ban Mong Reservoir Project was disseminated among the people of Chau Binh commune. With the scale of the project at that time, Chau Binh alone had up to 600 households that would have to be relocated. In 2009, the project had more positive adjustments, reducing more than 2/3 of the number of households that had to be relocated. At this time, the Ban Mong Reservoir Project Management Board carried out the above relocation work. In the archives of Chau Binh commune, there are many documents of meetings with people discussing resettlement work, stating the people's wishes, and solutions... However, due to the general economic difficulties, the project has not been implemented on schedule. And therefore, many problems have arisen in the areas planned for project implementation, affecting the lives of the people. According to Mr. Toan, most people expressed their desire for compensation to be carried out quickly; resettlement areas must ensure infrastructure, residential land, production land... and the highest wish is to be resettled right in the commune or district to quickly stabilize their lives.

We visited some areas where construction units will soon carry out the auxiliary dam, drainage canal and drainage canal components of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project. Talking to us, the people expressed that although they did not want to leave the land that had been attached to them for many generations, for the good purpose of the project, they were ready to hand over the land and clear the site for the construction unit. For example, in village 3-2, located next to National Highway 48, about 26 households had to be relocated; 95 households had their production land affected. The head of village 3-2, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan, said: ''In general, the people are in high agreement and are ready to donate land for the State to implement the project.

However, besides that, I hope the State will ensure compensation and resettlement, carry out site clearance quickly and arrange reasonable resettlement.'' Ms. Vo Thi Tuat (70 years old), whose house is next to National Highway 48, said: "I am from Phu Dien, I worked as a forestry worker from 1965-1967, and have been attached to Phu Quy land since its early days. Now that I am old, I do not want to be far from my children, my neighbors and the land that I have been attached to for decades. Therefore, I have expressed my wish to be resettled in Chau Binh commune. The commune leaders have discussed with us that the district and the province already know the people's wishes, and that the province will reclaim the land of the forestry farm in the commune to arrange resettlement. If that is the case, I will be completely assured to hand over the land to the project...". Ms. Vo Thi Huong, who lives in the same village, confided: "My family has young children, so we just hope that the State will resettle us to places with convenient schools, medical examination and treatment..."

According to the investigation, after the Provincial Irrigation Association had the idea of ​​building 3 auxiliary dams to straighten the Co Ba stream, digging a drainage canal down to Cong stream (Yen Hop commune, Quy Hop), the resettlement of people of the Ban Mong reservoir project has reduced nearly 600 households (initially 1,064 households had to be relocated). Previously, the resettlement component was invested by the Management Board of the Ban Mong reservoir project. On August 6, 2014, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Ho Duc Phoc worked with the Standing Committee of the Quy Chau District Party Committee. After listening to the report on the wishes of people in the area to implement the project, he assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate with the People's Committee of Quy Chau district and related sectors to promptly implement the planning, respecting the opinions of the district to arrange for on-site resettlement for people in the form of interspersing by region, or interspersing separately. On October 17, 2014, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Viet Hong, after inspecting the site clearance situation of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project, agreed with the plan for the People's Committee of Quy Chau District to replace the Management Board of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project to carry out the resettlement work; at the same time, assigned the People's Committee of Quy Chau District to organize a land survey of the two Co Ba and Quy Chau Forest Enterprises to determine the resettlement land fund.

Although there has not been an official document assigning tasks from the Provincial People's Committee, after receiving instructions, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district has focused on reviewing the land fund of the two forestry farms. Based on the notice on the number of households to be relocated (364 households, in the communes of Chau Binh, Chau Hoi, Chau Hanh, Chau Nga, Tan Lac Town) and the flooded area (1,221 ha) investigated by the Management Board of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project; Official Dispatch 7290/UBND.DC of the Provincial People's Committee directing the review of the current land use status of agricultural and forestry companies, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district has surveyed and submitted a document to the Provincial People's Committee requesting the recovery of 2,302.6 ha (771 ha of Co Ba Forest Farm land in Chau Binh commune; 1,531.6 ha of Quy Chau Forest Farm land in the two communes of Chau Nga and Chau Hoi) to hand over to the communes for management, serving the resettlement of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Hong - Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quy Chau district said: "In the immediate future, Quy Chau district plans to relocate and resettle 60 households to clear the site, hand over land to construction units to implement the auxiliary dam, drainage canal and lake channel components of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project on schedule. However, to do this, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district needs to receive an official document from the Provincial People's Committee assigning it as the investor of the relocation, resettlement and site clearance component in accordance with regulations. In addition, the recovery of forestry land for resettlement is also under the authority of the Provincial People's Committee, so it also needs more timely direction from the Provincial People's Committee".

The Chairman of the People's Committee of Quy Chau district, Mr. Phan Duc Dong, said: "The Ban Mong reservoir project is one of the key national irrigation and hydroelectric projects, which is of great significance to the economic development and people's livelihood of the province. The district has determined that it will take primary responsibility for issues related to resettlement and relocation to be determined to implement them well. Currently, in general, people in the project planning area have high consensus. In this project, the advantage is that people are resettled right in the area, moreover, the State carries out infrastructure-related work, and people are allowed to participate in supervision. The immediate problem now is to have land funds, so the Provincial People's Committee needs to soon give instructions on the recovery of forestry land...". Mr. Le Van Minh, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Ban Mong Reservoir Project added: "The transfer of the investor of the resettlement component of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project to the People's Committee of Quy Chau District is to help the work go smoothly and have consensus from top to bottom. We hope that the Provincial People's Committee will continue to pay attention to directing issues related to resettlement so that this important project can be implemented on schedule."

Article and photos:Nhat Lan