Law

Hear, see in Chau Binh...

Nhat Lan • July 27, 2025 07:18

We went to Chau Binh commune on July 22 - the time when storm No. 3 made landfall, with continuous heavy rain; with what we heard and saw, we somewhat sympathized with the worries of the cadres and people in the reservoir area of ​​the Ban Mong irrigation project...

Nhat Lan• July 26, 2025

Paying attention to the national key project of Ban Mong irrigation reservoir, since the beginning of May 2025, we have heard about the consequences arising in this locality. That is, after the auxiliary dam 1 blocked the flow, the water rose up and flooded the cemetery and the people's production area; the drainage canal system was damaged, blocked, causing landslides affecting the residential land and garden land of households on both sides of the canal; there is a concern that when the Ban Mong reservoir area accumulates water, there will be a situation where the residents and production areas will be isolated...

After the meeting with voters of Chau Binh commune by the Provincial People's Council delegates on May 23, 2025, we connected with a Provincial People's Council delegate to get more information. He said that the meeting mostly revolved around issues related to the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project.

The Provincial People's Council delegate said: "Reality shows that, in the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project, from the initial design to the implementation process over the past many years, the negative impacts on the production and living conditions of the people have not been fully and correctly assessed. Now the shortcomings have been clearly exposed, and we need to focus on handling them with the spirit of serving the people..."

A few days later, we were able to access Document No. 26/BC-MTTQ-BTT dated May 26, 2025 "Synthesizing opinions and recommendations of voters at the mid-year meeting of the 18th Provincial People's Council delegates" of the Fatherland Front Committee of Quy Chau district (old). Thereby, verifying the content of the Provincial People's Council delegate's discussion. Because in the dozens of opinions of Chau Binh commune voters with full names, places of residence, phone numbers... clearly stated, more than half were about issues from the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project.

Voter Phan Ba ​​Chien (Party Secretary of Ke Tam village) informed on March 30, 2025, due to the blocking of auxiliary dam 1, Tam village cemetery 1 with 180 graves was flooded; not to mention that some graves were flooded and could not be counted. He said that the reason was due to the inaccurate determination of boundary markers and flood water elevation, leading to the cemetery area not being counted or relocated before the blocking of auxiliary dam 1.

Therefore, he recommended that superiors should give their opinions so that the project investor can have a plan to compensate and relocate all the flooded graves to another location; pay for people to organize ceremonies according to customs and practices for the deceased; find land to arrange a new cemetery for the people...

At the same time, voter Phan Ba ​​Chien also informed that in Ke Tam village, there are about 30 hectares of agricultural land (including 6 hectares of 2-rice land) that have been isolated but are not included in the area recovered by the State, and requested to build a road to avoid affecting people's production...

Voter Lang Viet Dan (Ke Khoang village) said that in the village, there are 74 households affected by the construction of auxiliary dam No. 3, Chau Binh drainage canal; of which, 14 households lost their houses, gardens, and land; 9 households were isolated due to flooding and had no roads. Voter Lang Viet Dan requested that superiors pay attention and have a plan to clear the land; for households that were flooded and had no roads, he requested that there be a plan to build bridges and upgrade roads so that people could travel.

Voter Nguyen Van Phong (Quynh 1 village) reported that the two banks of Chau Binh drainage canal section passing through Quynh 1 village were eroded, affecting land outside the compensated project land area, affecting the lives of households living on both sides of the canal. He requested that competent authorities have a plan to prevent erosion of Chau Binh drainage canal so that households on both sides of the canal can live in peace...

Along with the opinions of voters, the Fatherland Front of Chau Binh commune (old) also reported on the people's petition regarding the State granting forest land in Bu Do area that overlaps with the planning of the Mong village irrigation reservoir project. This incident involves 94 households in Quynh 1, Quynh 2, 3/4, Dong Phau, Ke Mong, Ke Khoang, and Ke Nam villages; and the people petitioned to change the overlapping granted area to production land for economic development...

On June 4, we went to Chau Binh commune (old). At this time, although we are focusing on preparing for the operation of the 2-level local government, for the Party Committee and the commune government, handling issues arising from the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project is of special concern.

Secretary of the Chau Binh Commune Party Committee (old), Mr. Le Van Toan said that the proposal regarding the flooded area of ​​Ke Tam Cemetery has been focused on by Quy Chau District (old) and the Management Board of Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project. However, there are many complicated and difficult problems arising in the area. For example, the situation of water overflowing causes flooding not only in Ke Tam Village, but also in 2 cemeteries of Ke Mong Village...; resettlement areas are still unfinished; when the reservoir area of ​​​​Mong Village is filled with water, there will be more isolated and divided areas...

On July 22, we went back to Chau Binh commune. At this time, affected by storm No. 3, the whole Chau Binh commune was experiencing heavy rain. Stopping at 2 resettlement areas, including the resettlement area on slope 77 and the resettlement area after the auxiliary dam 1, there was still much work to do.

It is worth mentioning that due to heavy rains causing flooding in some households, a large ditch 70-80m long had to be dug on the resettlement area after the auxiliary dam 1 to drain the water. Visiting the drainage canal system in Ke Khoang and Quynh 1 villages, the canal bed has been dredged of layers of mud and soil that cause blockages, but landslides on both sides of the canal are clearly visible. In Ke Mong village, both Ke Mong and Tong Ho cemeteries located next to Co Ba bridge are in a state of flooding...

We visited Mrs. Pham Thi Chinh’s household in Quynh 1 village to understand the situation of landslides in residential and garden land caused by the drainage canal system. Mrs. Chinh’s house and garden are only about 8-9 meters from the drainage canal. In the garden, she only grows acacia trees “to prevent landslides and to have more income after about 5 years”. However, the land adjacent to the drainage canal has been eroded.

Standing on the cracked ground, Ms. Chinh said that since the drainage canal was built, every time there was heavy rain, the water would rush back and push the garden soil into the canal, causing landslides. If there were no preventive measures, landslides would continue, affecting people's land and houses, causing blockages and damage to the State canal system.

In concern, Ms. Pham Thi Chinh said: “I have represented the people here to report this issue many times but it has not been resolved. The households living along the canal are very worried. Every night when there is heavy rain, they do not dare to sleep. I hope this issue will be resolved so that the people’s property and the State’s property will not be damaged…”.

According to Mr. Bui Hoang Tung - Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Chau Binh Commune, the reflection of people living along the drainage canal about the landslide of residential land and garden land is correct. The landslide causes silting of the drainage canal, blocking the flow, and preventing water from draining.

This issue has been proposed by the commune to the superiors, the investor, the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project Management Board, has directed the construction unit to dredge the land, clear the flow, and prevent flooding for Chau Binh commune.

However, this is a temporary measure, because the drainage canal is an earthen canal, and over time it will continue to be eroded by heavy rains, causing landslides, silting, and blockage of the flow. Therefore, Chau Binh commune is continuing to petition the investor to study and overcome these shortcomings.

“In our opinion, we need to continue lowering the canal roof and dredging to widen the canal bed…”, Mr. Bui Hoang Tung said.

Arriving at Chau Binh commune headquarters, we were able to access Report No. 04/BC-MTTQ dated July 17, 2025 "Synthesizing voters' opinions before the 14th session of the 20th term People's Council of the commune, term 2021 - 2026" of the Standing Committee of the Fatherland Front of Chau Binh commune.

In this Report, there are 14 items in the field of investment - construction; 10 items in the field of land - environment. In each item, there are many opinions and recommendations, mainly related to the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project.

According to Mr. Lo Van The - Chairman of Chau Binh Commune People's Committee, the Ban Mong irrigation reservoir project has been going on for many years, so there are many problems. Particularly in the reservoir area of ​​Chau Binh Commune, after the first auxiliary dam was built, new problems have arisen. Currently, the commune government and the Ban Mong Project Management Board are focusing on handling them. However, many tasks are still unfinished and it is predicted that more complicated problems will continue to arise.

For the flooded cemeteries, Chau Binh commune has agreed with the people on a plan to move graves; and has also determined the land location to build a new cemetery. However, to build essential infrastructure such as roads to the new cemetery, it will take more time to organize land use planning.

Regarding the records of measuring the reservoir area, Chau Binh commune has received them recently, but after a few rains, the water level has risen and flooded some areas outside the boundary that was handed over to the commune. In these areas, there are isolated production areas and households, affecting daily life and production.

The commune's wish is that the Management Board of Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project and superior agencies urgently re-measure the discovered locations to soon put those areas on the list of land clearance and recovery, or have a plan to build an access road so as not to affect the people.

Regarding the two resettlement areas, they are still not completed, while many households have a need for residential land, so the progress needs to be accelerated. Because without the resettlement area, Chau Binh commune will face difficulties in site clearance work...

Regarding the areas identified to be isolated when the reservoir is filled with water, according to Chairman of Chau Binh Commune People's Committee Lo Van The, they are concentrated in Ke Tam village, Ke Khoang village, Binh Quang village with a total of 34 households. Binh Quang village alone will have 19 households and about 1,000 hectares of production forest land isolated.

“This is a matter that needs to be surveyed soon and have a solution. In addition, we hope that the superior agencies will direct the design consulting unit to accurately determine the water level of the Ban Mong irrigation reservoir area, to avoid new problems arising after the water is stored, at which point the handling will be very passive and difficult…”, Mr. Lo Van The said.

Contacting the Nghe An Agricultural and Rural Development Construction Investment Project Management Board (a unit under the Department of Agriculture and Environment - the investor of the site clearance for the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project, Phase 1), it is known that the Board has a basic understanding of the problems in the Chau Binh commune reservoir area. And it is informed that on July 11, 2025, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep worked with the province to assess the progress and resolve problems in the project implementation process.

On July 16, 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment announced the conclusion of Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep, in which, it requested the consulting unit to inspect and re-evaluate the flood level, identify areas and subjects affected by flooding; at the same time, assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to inspect and review the whole situation to propose and submit to the Provincial People's Committee a plan to build and restore residential roads...

Thus, it can be seen that the problems in Chau Binh commune have been and are being paid attention to by the Central and Provincial agencies, and solutions have been proposed. However, the deadline for completing the site clearance for the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project Phase 1 is only more than 5 months (December 31, 2025). Therefore, it is necessary to promptly carry out an accurate and complete assessment and thoroughly handle the arising problems, so that the Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project can be completed, so that the people in the Chau Binh commune reservoir area can be stable!