Nearly 200 graves submerged under Chi Khe hydroelectric lake

Authorities intervene

In early December 2022, Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company said that the unit is coordinating with the People's Committee of Con Cuong district to collect and complete related documents to provide to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment as requested by this department to carry out the next steps.

Previously, in the issue published on November 17, 2022, Nghe An Newspaper had an article"Hydroelectric power plant does not keep its commitment, hundreds of households suffer losses."The article reflects that the investor did not accurately assess the project's impact on land users, so when Chi Khe hydropower plant filled water to the permitted elevation, production land, houses of hundreds of households, along with many traffic works, graves, etc. were submerged under the hydropower reservoir even though they were not subject to site clearance. Although the investor committed to re-measuring and compiling records according to the current state of flooding after filling water to the 38m elevation to compensate the people, many years have passed and this commitment has not been carried out.

By November 19, 2022, the People's Committee of Nghe An province had issued a document on the implementation of compensation and support for the landslide area within the planning of the Chi Khe hydropower reservoir protection corridor. The content of the document assigned the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to consider the proposal of the People's Committee of Con Cuong district to implement in accordance with the provisions of law.

On November 21, 2022, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment sent a document to the People's Committee of Con Cuong district regarding the provision of documents related to the landslide area located in the planning corridor of the Chi Khe hydropower reservoir. Accordingly, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requested the People's Committee of Con Cuong district to provide documents related to the Chi Khe hydropower investment policy, Decision No. 3335/QD-UBND dated August 1, 2018 of the Provincial People's Committee on approving the master plan of the reservoir area (with the attached master plan map of the reservoir area); Extract of the additional survey map after water storage to the elevation of 38m and documents related to the landslide area located in the Chi Khe hydropower reservoir protection corridor (if any).

Initially, the land clearance for Chi Khe hydropower plant was expected to cost only about 40 billion VND, but to date the project has paid compensation of more than 300 billion VND but is still not completed. Photo: Tien Hung

In addition, after Nghe An Newspaper reported, the Department of Industry and Trade sent a document on resolving the problems in compensation and site clearance arising from Chi Khe Hydropower Plant to the People's Committee of Con Cuong district and Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company.

The content of the document stated that on November 17, 2022, Nghe An Newspaper published issue 13390 in which the article stated "Hydropower plants do not fulfill their commitments, hundreds of households suffer losses". In order to have a basis to advise the Provincial People's Committee in the assigned field, the Department of Industry and Trade requested the People's Committee of Con Cuong district and Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company to clarify the content of the newspaper, report on the implementation status, solutions, plans for the coming time, compensation and site clearance work arising from Chi Khe Hydropower Plant...

Nearly 200 graves submerged under the hydroelectric reservoir

In a written response to the Department of Industry and Trade, Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company said that after the hydropower plant filled water to an elevation of 38m, a number of households in Chau Khe commune submitted a petition complaining about the impact on some graves. The investor coordinated with the Land Clearance Council and the Chau Khe commune government to inspect the scene. Based on the verification results of the village and commune government of Chau Khe about the graves of households affected by Chi Khe hydropower plant, the investor coordinated with the Land Clearance Council of Con Cuong district to prepare, appraise and approve documents for households whose graves were affected.

On February 2, 2021, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district issued a Decision approving the compensation and support plan for households with affected graves with a total of 185 graves, the total support value is nearly 1.3 billion VND and the cost has been paid to each household with affected graves. As of November 2, 2022, 5 households in Bung village, Chau Khe commune submitted a petition that some affected graves were missing and had not been declared to prepare support and compensation records. After receiving the petitions of the households, the investor is coordinating with the People's Committee of Chau Khe commune and the Site Clearance Council to inspect and confirm to have a basis to complete the preparation of additional support and compensation records for the households to submit for appraisal, approval and payment according to regulations.

For the remaining waterfront plots with an area of ​​less than 100m²unqualified for cultivation, some poor households' support files and other backlogs, the investor said, the unit has coordinated with the Con Cuong District Land Clearance Council to prepare, appraise and approve compensation and support files for affected households. Up to now, Con Cuong District has approved 265 sets of files with a total support and compensation value of more than 7.7 billion VND. Currently, the work of public posting is being carried out at all levels of government according to regulations. After completing the public posting files, if households have no comments, the investor will coordinate with relevant parties to pay the costs to affected households according to the Decision approved by the District People's Committee.

The cemetery area is now submerged under the hydroelectric reservoir. Photo: Tien Hung

For some constructions along the lake located outside the 38m compensation boundary, the Company is coordinating with Con Cuong district and related departments to conduct field inspections of the locations with houses along the lake that people have requested and proposed to assess the actual impacts of the project on the constructions and properties of households. If there are impacts caused by the hydropower project, a plan for renovation and support will be developed to protect the constructions and properties of the houses to ensure that households can live there in a stable and long-term manner.

Regarding the inspection and measurement of cases of landslides after water storage, the investor said that after Chi Khe hydropower plant stored water to an elevation of 38m, there was a petition reflecting that a small area of ​​land located between the boundary markers for site clearance in small streams was flooded and some locations of alluvial land were eroded and had not been measured for compensation. Based on the petitions of households and commune authorities, the Company coordinated with local authorities and the surveying consultancy unit to inspect the actual site and found that there were some flooded locations interspersed with the boundary markers for site clearance and some locations that were eroded during the annual rainy season. At these locations, there were also landslides before the time the plant stored water.

“The company requested the consulting unit to conduct additional measurements after the water level was filled to 38m in August 2019. According to the consulting unit's measurement results, the area of ​​land eroded in the communes of Cam Lam, Chau Khe and Lang Khe is about 10.5 hectares, including the area of ​​land eroded due to the flood in August 2018. At this time, the Chi Khe Hydropower project has not yet been filled to 38m. After the time of filling the water level to 38m, in 2020, through actual field inspection of the Chi Khe hydropower reservoir area, after the floods, there were additional landslides in some areas of fertile alluvial land in the communes of Cam Lam, Chau Khe and Lang Khe. This entire area is within the reservoir protection corridor planning,” the document of Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company stated.

A household in Chau Khe commune had its road flooded. Photo: Tien Hung

Also according to the investor, on December 15, 2020, the unit had a document reporting and requesting approval for the plan to implement compensation and support for the landslide area located in the reservoir protection corridor planning. On December 28, 2020, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district also submitted a document to the People's Committee of Nghe An province allowing Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company to coordinate with the People's Committee of Con Cuong district and the People's Committees of related communes to implement compensation and support for the landslide area located in the reservoir protection corridor under the master plan of the Chi Khe hydropower reservoir area without having to approve the adjustment of the reservoir planning.

Chi Khe hydropower reservoir has had to adjust its planning many times. Photo: Tien Hung

However, according to the reporter's investigation, since then, the Chi Khe hydropower plant has not made any further moves. Meanwhile, many households have lost all their productive land since the hydropower plant filled the water to a height of 38m. Not to mention many households living close to the water's edge have been seriously threatened, with the risk of their houses being swept away into the hydropower reservoir. Some households, unable to wait any longer, had to spend their own money to move to a safe place.

In addition, in this response document, the investor did not mention the impact of Chi Khe hydropower plant on Tuong Duong area. According to the leader of Tuong Duong district, after Chi Khe hydropower plant stored water up to 38m, 71 households in Tam Quang commune filed a petition claiming that they lost their production land due to sinking under the hydropower reservoir. Tuong Duong district then issued many documents, requesting Chi Khe hydropower plant to measure and re-determine the elevation... However, up to now, the hydropower plant has not only not implemented it but also has not responded.