Khe Lai - Vuc Mau Reservoir Project: Obstacles that need to be overcome
The "Khe Lai - Vuc Mau Irrigation System" project in Tan Thang commune, Quynh Luu district, is currently facing numerous difficulties and obstacles that need to be resolved.
There are still many obstacles.
The Khe Lai - Vuc Mau Reservoir project in Tan Thang commune, Quynh Luu district, was approved in June 2009 and commenced construction in 2010 with a total investment of over 227.8 billion VND. However, due to various reasons, especially regarding funding, the project had to be temporarily suspended in 2017.
To continue the construction of this project, on October 29, 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Decision No. 4228/QD-BNN approving the adjustment of the Khe Lai - Vuc Mau Reservoir Project, Phase 1, with a total investment of VND 627 billion, including approximately VND 198 billion for construction costs and approximately VND 373 billion for land compensation and clearance.
According to a report from the People's Committee of Quynh Luu District, regarding compensation and land clearance: As of now, Quynh Luu District has completed the surveying and approval of specific land prices to serve the land clearance work for the project.
The on-site inventory and counting of 100% of the affected land parcels has been completed, and the supplementary review and approval of the overall land clearance plan for the project have been finalized... At the same time, 23 land acquisition decisions have been issued with an area of 219.41 hectares, reaching 60% of the total land clearance volume (of which: 91.32 hectares were acquired before 2016; 128.054 hectares/268 land parcels/79 households have been acquired from 2023 to the present).
However, currently, the implementation of land clearance work is facing some obstacles and difficulties, such as: The Provincial People's Committee has not yet issued a Decision to replace Decision No. 24/2022/QD-UBND to provide a basis for implementing compensation and support. The Tan Thang Commune People's Committee is completing the auction procedures for 32.11 hectares of natural forest land; however, the Provincial People's Committee has not yet issued a Decision allowing the auction to take place.
There is still no opinion on the issue of providing additional support for cases without land use documents, or those who received land transfers after August 1, 2008; or other support for planting agricultural crops on forest land; the provincial inter-agency task force has not yet reached a specific conclusion regarding the households of Mr. Ha Van Luan and Mr. Vi Van Tam in Nam Viet hamlet, Tan Thang commune, so that the District People's Committee has a basis to continue implementing the next steps related to compensation and relocation of households in the reservoir area to a safe place.
Currently, 139.93 hectares remain uncompleted for land clearance (including: 0.42 hectares of residential land/14 households/14 plots; 102.04 hectares of agricultural land/96 households/207 plots; and 37.48 hectares of forest land (26 households/35 plots). The Tan Thang Commune People's Committee has identified the origin of 70 out of 99 plots, with the remaining 29 plots undergoing land origin adjustment.
The reason for the remaining obstacles in land clearance is that the project has been underway for over 15 years (starting in 2010 and continuing to the present), with a long period of suspension due to lack of funding and the failure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve project adjustments (suspended for 6 years from the end of 2016 to the beginning of 2022)... therefore, the current situation, legal basis, and regulations on compensation for land clearance have undergone many changes and are inadequate, such as the 2024 Land Law replacing the 2003 Land Law.
From 2016 to 2022, no funding was allocated, so land clearance work could not be implemented. In 2022, after funding was allocated, the flood elevation was adjusted from +47.33m down to +46.25m. This necessitated a re-survey and revision of the cadastral map to supplement the new land use plan before land clearance could be carried out.
To date, Tan Thang commune has not implemented land allocation according to Decrees 64, 81, 02, and 163; nor has it conducted cadastral mapping or established land management records before the implementation of the Khe Lai project. The area requiring land acquisition for the project is located in a remote, mountainous region; the main beneficiaries are ethnic minorities and members of the Quynh Luu Youth Volunteer Brigade. The project has dragged on for more than 15 years, including 6 years of suspension, forcing many residents (primarily ethnic minority households) to relocate and build new homes after getting married and separating from their families.
Therefore, it has created significant difficulties in identifying the land users, landowners, and the origin and history of land use. In the project area, there are 32.11 hectares of natural production forest land that has not yet been allocated; the process and procedures for forest liquidation, support for forest management and protection have many problematic aspects.
Furthermore, local land management is still limited, allowing for buying, selling, transferring, or self-reclamation that alters the original state of land, and for the unauthorized conversion and planting of agricultural crops on land originally designated for forestry and agricultural purposes. Illegal construction after land acquisition notices are not promptly addressed or prevented, hindering the process of identifying land users and determining compensation and support conditions for land clearance.
It needs to be resolved soon.
To gradually overcome difficulties in land clearance work, Quynh Luu District is directing the Tan Thang Commune People's Committee to continue the work of determining land ownership. They are also submitting a request to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration of alternative support policies for cases without land use documents or those who received land transfers after August 1, 2008.
There are other support policies for planting agricultural crops on forest land (production forest planning); there are policies allowing the auctioning of natural forest timber assets from salvage logging when changing the purpose of forest land use to other purposes for project implementation.
The People's Committee of Quynh Luu District hopes that provincial departments and agencies will continue to pay attention and provide guidance so that the district has a basis to implement the contents in accordance with regulations, and at the same time, complete a detailed report related to the support and compensation for land clearance for the project so that construction can begin soon and the schedule can be ensured.
The Khe Lai - Vuc Mau Reservoir project, once operational, will provide irrigation water for 1,524 hectares of cultivated land, including rice and industrial crops; it will also provide domestic water for 11,700 people in the surrounding area and supplement the water supply of Vuc Mau Reservoir with a capacity of 13.4 million cubic meters.3/year and participate in flood reduction on the Hoang Mai River, as well as contribute to improving the ecosystem and environment in the project area.
