The Chau Binh auxiliary dam and drainage canal component won a top award.

(Baonghean.vn) - The Ban Mong irrigation and hydroelectric project, located in Yen Hop commune (Quy Hop district), commenced construction on April 30, 2010, and has been underway for over a year and a half. According to initial surveys, the Ban Mong hydroelectric and irrigation project, with an elevation of 83 meters, will affect seven communes, requiring the relocation of over 3,800 households. In particular, Chau Binh commune (Quy Chau district) will almost entirely require relocation.

To mitigate the negative impact on the entire reservoir area, relevant authorities involved in the project have stepped in to review and redesign the project. After the Ban Mong Irrigation and Hydropower Project was approved by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, although the project only had an elevation of 76.4m and included an auxiliary structure of a 13km long drainage canal, Chau Binh commune still had 12 out of 17 villages affected, with 210 households comprising 4,452 people needing to be relocated.

Recognizing that Chau Binh commune is a prosperous area with many advantages in terms of land, transportation, and irrigation for building a new rural area; and also that Chau Binh has a high population density, including long-time Thai ethnic minority residents and many households from lowland districts who came here many years ago to build new economic zones in the mountainous region and have settled down and established stable livelihoods; while the areas planned for resettlement lacked better options and were unsuitable for relocation, relevant agencies from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, along with other relevant agencies, have begun searching for a new solution.

After considering various options and engaging in debates, the construction plan for the Chau Binh auxiliary dam and drainage canal component has now been deemed the optimal solution by the Nghe An Irrigation Association.

The project for the Chau Binh auxiliary dam and drainage canal component was carried out by the Center for Consulting, Application of Science and Technology in Irrigation, under the Nghe An Irrigation Association, led by Mr. Nguyen Quang Hoa - Vice Chairman, General Secretary of the Association and Director of the Investment and Construction Management Board of Irrigation; Engineer Nguyen Tri Duc - Member; and Irrigation Engineer Tran Huu Luc - Deputy Director of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Chau Binh auxiliary dam and drainage canal component plan includes the following main construction items:

Construct earth dams (including auxiliary dam 1 to block the Co Ba River, and auxiliary dams 2 and 3 to protect the Chau Binh commune area).

Dig a 50m wide, +74m high channel through the bottom of the lake to channel water from the Co Ba River basin into the Mong village reservoir.

The Chau Binh drainage canal was dug with a bottom width of 8-20m, and the initial design water level was +71.5m to drain water from the area into the Cong stream.

With the proposed construction of the Chau Binh auxiliary dam and drainage canal component, the objective and task is to protect the residential area in the center of Chau Binh commune, reducing the number of households to be relocated from 775 to 565, and maintaining infrastructure including schools, kindergartens, the commune People's Committee headquarters, the commune health station, the post office, high-voltage power lines, and National Highway 48, thereby reducing the pressure on compensation, relocation, and resettlement support for the Ban Mong water reservoir project.

The Chau Binh auxiliary dam and drainage canal component project won the special award "Nghe An Province Science and Technology Innovation Award 2011" and the third prize at the 11th National Technical Innovation Competition, 2010-2011.

In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, thousands of people in Chau Binh commune were relieved to hear that they would not have to be relocated due to the impact of the Ban Mong reservoir, and that most of the local infrastructure and facilities would remain intact. This brought them joy and peace of mind. It was also a reward for those dedicated to the country and its people who had developed the Chau Binh auxiliary dam and drainage canal project.

Nguyen Minh Giang