Water levels in rivers in Nghe An are very tense.

On the afternoon of July 2, the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment had a working program with Nghe An province on monitoring water security for production, daily life and dam safety management.

The delegation was led by Comrade Phung Quoc Hien - Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly. The delegation included members of the Party Central Committee: Phan Xuan Dung - Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment; Nguyen Duc Hai - Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Finance and Budget; and Comrade Nguyen Hoang Hiep - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development... On Nghe An's side, there were Comrade Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Nguyen Van De - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Photo: Pham Bang

If you don't plan long term, there will be a water shortage.

Reporting to the monitoring delegation, comrade Nguyen Van De - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the province currently has 1,061 irrigation reservoirs, including 396 dams; 2 irrigation systems including the Southern Irrigation System and the Northern Irrigation System; 19 hydroelectric reservoirs.

By 2019, the province had invested in and put into use 510 centralized domestic water supply works, with a total designed capacity of nearly 70,000 m3/day and night, ensuring domestic water for about 100,000 households in the province. It is estimated that by the end of 2020, 85% of the rural population will use hygienic domestic water.

There are about 100 damaged dams in the province that need upgrading and repairing but have no funding. Localities have seriously carried out inspections of works before the rainy season, assessing the current status of irrigation works in the area.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long spoke at the meeting. Photo: Pham Bang

Tuy nhiên, theo đồng chí Nguyễn Hoàng Hiệp – Thứ trưởng Bộ NN&PTNT, các hồ chứa thủy lợi ở Nghệ An chỉ có 535 triệu m3 nước, như vậy là ít, trong khi nhu cầu là rất lớn vì 80% dân số của Nghệ An là ở nông thôn.

“Hiện nhu cầu nước của tỉnh Nghệ An mỗi năm cần 2,6 tỷ m3, 5 năm tới thì nhu cầu là 3,2 tỷ m3/năm. Nếu không có tính toán lâu dài thì sẽ thiếu nước. Hiện nay, các công trình thủy lợi mới đảm bảo được 55% tưới, nếu dự án Bản Mồng đưa vào hoạt động thì tỷ lệ này tăng thêm được 10%. An ninh nguồn nước với Nghệ An là hiện tại, chứ không phải tương lai”, Thứ trưởng Hiệp nói.

Thứ trưởng Bộ NN&PTNT Nguyễn Hoàng Hiệp cho rằng, an ninh nguồn nước ở Nghệ An là hiện tại, chứ không phải tương lai. Ảnh: Phạm Bằng

Thứ trưởng Bộ NN&PTNT đánh giá rằng, biến đổi khí hậu tác động đến Nghệ An là rất nhanh. Tình trạng hạ thấp mực nước ở các dòng sông trên địa bàn tỉnh Nghệ An cũng căng thẳng. Các cống thượng lưu ở Nam Đàn đều trơ đáy, hoặc rất thấp.

Bên cạnh đó, do biến đổi khí hậu nên Nghệ An cũng bị xâm nhập mặn, cũng gay gắt. Tỉnh đang nghiên cứu xây dựng đập ngăn mặn sông Lam, nếu không cao điểm mặn sẽ xâm nhập 40km.

NGHỆ AN PHẢI QUYẾT TÂM CAO HƠN

Đoàn giám sát kiểm tra thực tế tại dự án hồ chứa nước Bản Mồng. Ảnh: Phạm Bằng

Để đảm bảo an ninh nguồn nước, Thứ trưởng Bộ NN&PTNT đề nghị, về quy hoạch, Nghệ An chủ yếu là trên lưu vực sông Cả, nhưng toàn bộ số liệu đo đạc không có. Vì vậy, tỉnh phải theo dõi, có số liệu đo đạc của sông Cả và các con sông khác.

Bên cạnh đó, nhu cầu nước ở vùng hạ du ngày càng cao, vì tỉnh đang có xu hướng tăng tỷ trọng công nghiệp và dịch vụ lên. Vì vậy, việc chuyển đổi cơ cấu cây trồng của tỉnh phải có tầm nhìn xa hơn, 20 năm, thậm chí 50 năm.

“Tỉnh cần xây dựng bổ sung các công trình thủy lợi vừa cắt lũ, đảm bảo nguồn nước cho hạ du. Nghiên cứu xây dựng các hồ thượng lưu dự án hồ Bản Mồng. Vừa để điều tiết cắt lũ, vừa cung cấp nước trong khu vực”

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep

Regarding dam safety, Nghe An has 100 dams in the unsafe list that need to be repaired, including 10 especially dangerous dams in the list of 200 dangerous dams nationwide. At the same time, there are still 23 large dams under commune management, which is not okay.

According to Deputy Minister Hiep, the Ban Mong reservoir project has been delayed and needs to be accelerated because it cannot be delayed any longer. Phase 1 is about the headworks, but the forest area is stuck. The province has submitted documents to the Government but needs to supplement them. If the province is not determined, it will be difficult to do.

Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, Mr. Phan Xuan Dung, said that Nghe An must be more determined to achieve the progress of phase 1 of the Ban Mong reservoir project. Photo: Pham Bang

Regarding the Ban Mong project, it is expected that by the end of 2020, the construction of the headquarter and 8 pumping stations will be completed with a budget of 4,370 billion VND. Nghe An province has proposed the National Assembly to allow the conversion of the purpose of using 316.2 hectares of protective forest in the reservoir to implement the project. At the same time, more than 620 billion VND will be allocated for phase 1 and more than 3,214 billion VND to implement phase 2.

Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, Mr. Phan Xuan Dung, said that the Provincial People’s Committee must prepare a complete dossier on converting forest use purposes and submit it to the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment as soon as possible. The Committee will then review and submit it to the National Assembly Standing Committee according to its authority.

"Nghe An must be more determined to achieve the project's first phase progress in this term," comrade Phan Xuan Dung emphasized.

The Ban Mong reservoir project is expected to complete the construction of the main head and 8 pumping stations by the end of 2020. Photo: Pham Bang

Concluding the supervision session, Comrade Phung Quoc Hien - Vice Chairman of the National Assembly said that Nghe An is an agricultural province, but has only met 55% of irrigation needs, which is low.

Due to natural disasters, steep slopes, and unusual storms and floods, dam safety in Nghe An is always at risk. Therefore, the province needs to re-decentralize more than 900 dams managed by communes to ensure they are able to handle incidents when they occur. In addition, Nghe An must have a master plan for the dam system, because Nghe An's advantage is still agriculture, to ensure irrigation and water security.

Comrade Phung Quoc Hien - Vice Chairman of the National Assembly proposed that the Provincial Party Standing Committee include water security in the Resolution of the 2021-2025 term congress. Photo: Pham Bang

Regarding the Ban Mong reservoir project, the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly said that for the area of ​​316.2 hectares of protective forest, Nghe An needs to calculate, review, and correctly assess the current situation. From there, prepare a specific dossier to submit to the Government, then continue to submit to the National Assembly for consideration of changing the purpose of use. By the end of August 2020, the province must complete the dossier to submit to the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment for review, from which it will have enough conditions to allocate capital for the 2021-2025 medium-term plan.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly also proposed that the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee include the issue of water security in the Resolution of the Provincial Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term, striving to achieve an irrigation rate of 75% by 2025.