Checking the implementation of operating procedures of Chau Thang and Nhan Hac hydroelectric reservoirs
(Baonghean.vn) - The Department of Industry and Trade has just decided to establish an inspection team to implement the operating procedures of Chau Thang and Nhan Hac hydropower reservoirs.
On October 13, 2023, the Department of Industry and Trade issued a decision to establish an Inspection Team to implement the Operation Procedures of Chau Thang and Nhan Hac hydropower reservoirs.
The inspection team consists of members from the Department of Industry and Trade and the Irrigation Sub-Department. Mr. Tran Thanh Hai - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade was assigned as Head of the team.
The tasks and powers of the Inspection Team are to organize inspections of the implementation of the Inter-reservoir Operation Procedures and Single-reservoir Operation Procedures for the owners of Chau Thang and Nhan Hac hydropower dams and reservoirs.
Handle violations or propose solutions (if any) to report to the Provincial People's Committee and the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade for consideration and resolution. The subjects of the inspection are the owners of Chau Thang and Nhan Hac hydropower dams and reservoirs. The inspection period is 5 days from the date of signing and issuing the decision.
According to Nghe An Newspaper, Prime Que Phong Joint Stock Company is the owner of Chau Thang hydroelectric reservoir; and Za Hung Joint Stock Company is the owner of Nhan Hac hydroelectric reservoir.
At 11:42 p.m. on September 26, Prime Que Phong Joint Stock Company issued Notice No. 67/TB-PQP to the authorities, reporting flood discharge operations at 4 a.m. on September 27 with discharge flow from 76m3/s to 450m3/s.
However, at 2:38 a.m. on September 27, Notice No. 68/TB-PQP stated that Nhan Hac Hydropower Plant should discharge water at 2:35 a.m. with the discharge flow increased to 1,200 m3/s. At 6:56 a.m. on September 27, Notice No. 69/TB-PQP continued to be issued, stating that by 8:30 a.m., the discharge level would be increased to 2,500 m3/s downstream.
According to the staff of the Standing Office of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, Prime Que Phong Joint Stock Company has not complied with the regulations. Because according to the regulations, the flood discharge operation notice must be issued at least 4 hours before the flood discharge is carried out.
Regarding Za Hung Joint Stock Company, on September 27, 2023, Notice No. 2709/2023/TB-NMNH on the operation and regulation of the Nhan Hac Hydropower Plant reservoir was sent to relevant authorities.
According to Za Hung Joint Stock Company, due to the influence of the tropical depression from the evening of September 26, 2023, the Nhan Hac hydropower reservoir basin will sometimes have moderate rain, sometimes heavy rain to very heavy rain. The water flow to Nhan Hac hydropower reservoir is increasing and is forecast to continue to increase in the next few hours, causing the lake water level to be at risk of exceeding the elevation of 312.0m.
Za Hung Joint Stock Company plans to discharge additional water through two deep spillway valves at 5:30 a.m. on September 27; the total expected discharge flow is from 500 to 1,100 m3/s. According to the Standing Office of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, Notice No. 2709/2023/TB-NMNH was sent to the Office by Za Hung Joint Stock Company at 2:10 am.
Regarding the damage caused by floods in Quy Chau district on September 26-27, 2023, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district has sent a summary report to the Provincial People's Committee (Report No. 37/BC-UBND dated October 4, 2023).
Human damage, one person drowned, Mr. Lu Van Khuyen (born 1952), residing in Hoa Tien 1 village, Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district, body found at 12:30 on September 29, 2023; more than 5,000 people had to be evacuated to a safe place.
One house completely collapsed (Chau Nga commune), 1,371 houses/30 blocks and villages were flooded. National Highway 48A with a length of about 44 km was cut off at 8 points; National Highway 48D had 8 landslides with hundreds of cubic meters of earth and rock; Provincial Road 544, about 34 km long, had 3 landslides at Bu Xen slope; Chau Thuan - Chau Hoi road had 3 landslides; many main roads of communes were eroded, cutting off many villages and hamlets; all spillways in the district were completely flooded. Many irrigation works were eroded, washed away, and damaged such as the small reservoir Huoi Hung; Minh Chau embankment...
In the whole district of Quy Chau, 40 low voltage poles and 5 medium voltage poles were broken; 3 transformer stations and 02 remote power circuit breakers were flooded. 15 Vinaphone BTS stations and 7 Viettel stations were damaged and lost signal. 36/36 schools had to close; 14,906 students had to stay home due to the heavy rain, including more than 100 students of Quy Chau High School who were boarding, and in households who lost all their books and school supplies; 5 schools and 4 medical stations in Chau Tien, Chau Thang, Chau Hoi and Chau Binh communes were deeply submerged in water.
The flood damaged 850.48 hectares of summer-autumn rice, 123.29 hectares of crops and 190.79 hectares of aquatic products; 234.45 hectares of annual crops were submerged and broken; 776 cattle, buffaloes, cows, pigs and 23,032 poultry died. Many agencies, units and households suffered damage to electronic equipment, household appliances, cars, motorbikes... The total damage in Quy Chau district is estimated to be up to 177,331 million VND.
In Report No. 37/BC-UBND, Quy Chau district also determined that the damage was due to the impact of a tropical depression from September 26, 2023 to September 27, 2023, with heavy to very heavy rain, with rainfall measured at over 310mm, and large floods upstream; at the same time, factories such as Nhan Hac, Chau Thang, and Nam Pong discharged floodwaters with a flow of 2000 - 2500 m3/s, caused widespread flooding across the district.
Due to the severe flood damage, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district proposed that the Provincial People's Committee, provincial departments, branches and sectors consider providing early financial support to repair the damage; at the same time, request the Provincial People's Committee to support and assess the cause of the flood, including reviewing the flood discharge process of hydropower plants in the flood discharge on September 27, 2023.
Regarding the flood in Quy Chau district, on October 12, 2023, Nghe An Newspaper had an article "Quy Chau Floods: Things That Need to Be Said”. In particular, it is recognized that in addition to the unusual climate causing heavy rain leading to flooding in Quy Chau district, there were negative impacts that should have been predicted and prevented early to minimize damage.
