The river embankment project in Ky Son is at risk of missing its deadline.

Urgent project

On March 22, 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai approved the use of 100 billion VND out of the 150 billion VND already allocated from the central government's contingency budget for 2021, as per Decision No. 2266/QD-TTg, by the People's Committee of Nghe An province to implement the Nam Mo River embankment project, specifically the section passing through Blocks 4 and 5 of Muong Xen town, Ky Son district. According to the feasibility study, the Nam Mo River embankment has a total length of 2,420 meters.

This project is extremely necessary and urgent to mitigate the consequences of natural disasters such as floods, making a significant contribution to ensuring the safety of lives and property for households, protecting economic and social infrastructure in the area; and at the same time, contributing to the successful implementation of 3 national target programs in the poor mountainous district of Ky Son.

Given its importance, in August 2022, the Nghe An Provincial People's Council issued a decision approving the investment plan for this project, with an implementation period of two years, from 2022 to 2023. Immediately afterwards, the project was approved by the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 4161/QD-UBND dated December 26, 2022, assigning the Ky Son District People's Committee as the investor, with a capital of approximately 100 billion VND.

However, in late September to early October 2022, flash floods occurred in Ky Son district, causing significant damage to people and property in the area. The consequences of the flash floods led to changes in the Nam Mo river basin, rendering the previously submitted feasibility design by the Ky Son District People's Committee unsuitable for the current conditions on both banks of the river where the project is to be implemented.

Therefore, on March 15, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 567/QD-UBND approving the adjustment of the project and the adjustment of the contractor selection plan for the project: Embankment of the Nam Mo River section passing through Block 4 and Block 5, Muong Xen town. Specifically, the project was transferred from the Ky Son District People's Committee as the investor to the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects, under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An province.

Accordingly, this project has 4 bidding packages, including: Package 5A, section 1 from K0 to K0+520; Package 5B, section 2 from K0+961.1 to K1+559.1; Package 5C, section 1 from K0 to K0+584; Package 5D, section 2 from K0+742.4 to K1+460.4. After the decision to change the investor, all 4 new bidding packages will be implemented in May 2024.

Due to the unstable terrain in the Nam Mo riverbed area, the design for the upstream embankment of the Muong Xen bridge will feature a sloping structure using reinforced concrete slabs, connecting from the existing embankment to the bridge abutments. The downstream embankment will have a vertical wall structure combined with a sloping roof. The top surface of the embankment, where it meets the bank, will be reinforced with pebbles and boulders, while the back of the embankment will be filled with compacted earth. The base of the wall will be reinforced with sturdy gabions to prevent landslides and erosion. The project is expected to be completed and handed over for operation by the end of 2024.

Risk of delays

Although it is an essential project, ensuring the safety of many households in Muong Xen town and the infrastructure on both sides of the river, the change of investor from the Ky Son District People's Committee to the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects for Agriculture and Rural Development, along with the impact of extreme weather conditions, has forced the project's progress to be adjusted.

In reality, at the project site, we have observed that the water level on the Nam Mo River has been high recently. To ensure the safe construction of the embankment, the construction units have had to build dikes to prevent water from flooding the reinforced concrete structure of the embankment. However, with the recent complex flood situation in the Central region, the risk of the units having to halt construction is very high.

Besides worrying about project delays, local residents are also quite concerned that the construction work has required the building of embankments, narrowing the waterway and affecting flood drainage.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung, Director of the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects in Nghe An, said: After adjusting the project and commencing construction in May 2024, the Project Management Board has requested construction units to focus manpower, materials, and machinery to accelerate construction progress in order to ensure the completion of the disbursement of allocated capital.

Although construction began in the summer, the rainy season arrived shortly after, causing significant difficulties. In particular, within just four months, due to heavy rainfall in the upstream areas, the hydroelectric power plants released water seven times, causing the river water level to rise and preventing the contractor from proceeding with the planned schedule. At times, the floods caused riverbank erosion, forcing contractors to reinforce the eroded areas, further impacting the project's progress.

Furthermore, a large portion of this embankment is being constructed near residential areas and several businesses, posing significant risks of landslides when machinery is brought in for construction. In fact, during construction, contractors have had to implement reinforcement and remedial measures to ensure safety in certain areas.

According to Mr. Hung, after the groundbreaking ceremony, the unit directed the construction teams to proactively accelerate the project's progress; instructed contractors to develop specific construction plans and report detailed progress at each specific time. The investor also requested the construction units to increase machinery and equipment, take advantage of favorable weather conditions to work overtime and increase shifts to ensure the project's progress.

At the same time, the construction unit was instructed to develop a disaster prevention plan and implement phased construction measures to promptly clear the waterway in the event of unusual rainfall or flooding.

We questioned whether, given the current weather conditions, the construction units would be able to complete the project by the end of 2024, as it was scheduled to be finished and put into operation.

Mr. Hung stated: The unit has also instructed the contractor to be determined to complete and hand over the project by the end of 2024. However, in the event of force majeure due to objective reasons such as weather conditions or floods that delay progress, a request may have to be submitted to the People's Council to propose to the National Assembly to allow adjustments to the timeline, ensuring the project's objectives are met.