Improve the efficiency of management and exploitation of water reservoirs

(Baonghean) - Currently, the Provincial People's Committee is planning to transfer large-capacity dams managed by the locality to irrigation companies. This is a correct policy to strengthen the management of dams as well as ensure the safety of reservoirs. However, in the implementation process, there are still many issues that need to be resolved by both the locality and the irrigation unit receiving the management.

According to Document No. 434 of the Provincial People's Committee on the transfer of management units for reservoirs with a capacity of 1 million m3 or more, or reservoirs with a capacity of over 0.5 million m3 with a dam height of over 15m, the whole province has 29 dams managed by the locality that will be transferred to 6 irrigation companies: Bac Irrigation Company Limited, Nam Irrigation Company Limited, Thanh Chuong Irrigation Company Limited, Phu Quy Irrigation Company Limited, Tan Ky Irrigation Company Limited and Anh Son Irrigation Company Limited.

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development inspected Khe Vinh Lake, Nghia My Commune (Thai Hoa Town).

The reason why it is necessary to transfer dams with a capacity of over 1,000,000 m3 or a capacity of over 500,000 m3 with a dam height of over 15m in localities to irrigation companies for management is because the operation in some localities is not effective. For example, Thong Nhat reservoir managed by Tay Hieu Cooperative, with a capacity of 1.27 million m3, this reservoir has been contracted to an individual for fish farming. Because fish farming is not effective, the contractor has changed the function of the reservoir by draining the water to cultivate and plant trees right in the reservoir. In weather conditions forecast to be drought like this year, such unscientific operation will affect not only irrigation water for production, but also the lives of households around the reservoir area.

The ineffective management of dams is due to the fact that most dams are currently managed by localities and assigned to a household for management and use. Due to the economic benefits from fish farming, the operation and regulation of water in drought and flood prevention work is completely passive. To avoid such unscientific management, most localities are very sympathetic to the transfer of dam management to specialized units.

Tan Ky district has 3 dams managed by the locality that will be transferred to Tan Ky LLC to take over, namely Cua Dam, Mai Tan Lake, Khe Than Lake, all with a capacity of over 1 million m3. Mr. Nguyen Ba Thuc, Head of the Tan Ky District Agriculture Department said: "We completely agree with the policy of transferring dam management to irrigation companies. In my opinion, after the dams are transferred to the management units, the flood and drought prevention operations will certainly be better because they have the expertise and professionalism."

Nam Irrigation Company Limited is one of the units that will receive and manage the dams after the transfer. Currently, the company is managing 13 dams. After receiving 7 dams from the locality, the total number of dams that the unit needs to operate and manage is 20. Some localities are concerned about whether the transfer of dams will affect the irrigation area as well as the local disaster prevention work or not? Talking to us, Mr. Thai Van Hung, Deputy Director of Nam Irrigation Company Limited shared: “We will send people with good expertise to manage the dams that the locality transfers. Therefore, we affirm that we will perform well the assigned functions and tasks to serve production, provide irrigation water as well as promptly fix damages to safely operate the dams in the coming time”.

In addition, some localities that have transferred projects are also having concerns after the transfer. Khe Vinh Lake in Nghia My Commune (Thai Hoa Town) is currently under the management of Nghia My Commune People's Committee. The lake has a capacity of 1.75 million m3, providing irrigation water for more than 92 hectares of agricultural land, and is on the list of projects that need to be transferred to the irrigation unit for management. However, according to Ms. Cao Thi Huong, Chairwoman of Nghia My Commune People's Committee, Khe Vinh Lake has been contracted by the commune with a contractor to raise fish and do ecotourism business. So the question is how will the above contract be resolved when transferring management rights...? Similarly, Nghia Thuan Commune (Thai Hoa Town) has Khe Thung Lake, which is also a project that needs to be transferred to the irrigation company for management. Currently, the Nghia Thuan commune government is transferring the project to the irrigation company for management, but one of the problems that the locality is concerned about is ensuring the rights of the fish farming contract signed between the locality and the individual household.

Khe Vinh Lake.

To answer the concerns of the localities, we talked with Mr. Nguyen Van De, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Mr. De said: For the lakes that currently have fish farming contracts that the localities have signed with people and businesses, after the lakes are transferred to the irrigation units, those contracts will still be implemented until the end of the term, but still on the basis of ensuring the safety of the dam during the rainy season and must perform well the task of providing water for daily life and production.

Effective use of dams to operate, regulate irrigation water, serve people's lives as well as ensure people's safety during the rainy and flood season is what local units are aiming for. Therefore, in order to quickly transfer dams, units and localities need to discuss and reach an agreement to soon put these 29 dams into a management system with appropriate professional qualifications. "The transfer of large-capacity dams that localities are managing to irrigation companies is very necessary.

Because currently the reservoir management work in the communes is still concurrent, lacking the professional qualifications to operate effectively. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly transfer large-capacity reservoirs to irrigation units because they have a team of specialized staff in managing and operating reservoirs and dams. We will closely coordinate with local authorities, irrigation units and reservoir owners to carry out the handover smoothly and in accordance with regulations. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued an official dispatch directing the Irrigation Sub-Department to guide the Irrigation LLCs to work with reservoir and dam owners to carry out the handover and resolve some existing problems. The handover of the reservoirs must be completed before May 30, 2015" - Mr. Nguyen Van De added.

Vinh Thao