Immediate concerns at the weak irrigation infrastructure.

(Baonghean) - The slow progress in repairing and upgrading some critical irrigation works serving flood and storm prevention in Nghe An province due to incomplete procedures and lack of funding is one of the factors increasing the risk of insecurity for people in affected areas as the rainy and stormy season approaches.

The release of water from the Vuc Mau reservoir during the 2013 rainy season caused significant property damage to residents of Hoang Mai town and Quynh Luu district, serving as a costly lesson. 286 houses surrounding the reservoir were submerged under 1-2 meters of water, and several people lost their lives. This highlights the need for rational management and operation of the Vuc Mau reservoir's water release to ensure dam safety while also providing safety measures for hundreds of households in the area. However, concerns remain...

Construction of the downstream channel for the Nam Dan sluice gate upgrade and expansion project and the canal system.

The operation procedures of Vuc Mau Reservoir and several items such as the emergency handling system, communication system, and sirens have been gradually improved. However, the issue of ensuring the safety of 286 households in the reservoir area has not been addressed promptly. Mr. Phan Tien Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tan Thang commune (Quynh Luu district), said: "When the water level of Vuc Mau Reservoir reached +22.67m, as during the heavy rains of 2013, 51 households in three hamlets (12/9, 19/8, and 3/2) were deeply submerged for many days, causing significant property damage and threatening the lives of the people. To ensure these households can live in peace and stability, relocation and resettlement are necessary."

However, this urgent problem has not yet been resolved in a timely manner. The rainy season is approaching, and while there is no plan for relocating residents in the reservoir area, if there is heavy rain like in 2013, the commune will still have to temporarily relocate residents to the commune People's Committee, cultural center, or school to ensure their safety. Along with Tan Thang, many other households in the Vuc Mau reservoir area in Quynh Thang and Quynh Tan communes face similar risks when the reservoir water level rises. According to statistics, during the heavy rains in 2013, 229 households in 6 hamlets (3, 4, 5, 6, 11, and 12) in Quynh Thang commune were deeply flooded. In Quynh Tan commune, 8 households in hamlet 4 were also significantly affected.

Given the situation, the province has directed relevant levels, sectors, and units to mark the boundaries within the Vuc Mau reservoir at the normal water level (+21m) and the designed flood level, elevation (+22.72m), but this work is progressing slowly. Mr. Dang Ngoc Binh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district, said: "In order to have a basis for determining the specific affected area of ​​each household and the extent of flooding, and thereby propose solutions, the district urgently needs the province and the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, and Agriculture and Rural Development to direct the Bac Irrigation Company Limited to mark the boundaries within the Vuc Mau reservoir at the normal water level (+21m) and the designed flood level, elevation (+22m)."

Based on the current survey results, the district has a basis to coordinate with local authorities and relevant units to review the plan for relocating and resettling people in the reservoir area, and the plan for supporting production restrictions… according to regulations, to submit to relevant levels and sectors for consideration and approval.” Regarding the slow implementation of the demarcation of the Vuc Mau reservoir boundary, Mr. Le Van Cuong, Deputy Director of Bac Irrigation Company Limited, explained: “Because the demarcation of the Vuc Mau reservoir (approximately 70 km long) takes a lot of time and investment, the unit has now completed the dossier and is submitting it to relevant departments and sectors for consideration and resolution, after which the unit will proceed with implementation.” The work of demarcating the boundary in the Vuc Mau reservoir is very necessary, but the slow progress will affect the Vuc Mau reservoir and the lives of hundreds of households during this year's rainy season.

In the Nam Dan sluice gate and canal system upgrade and expansion project, with a total investment of over 536.7 billion VND, after 4 years of implementation, the project is still not completed on schedule. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has extended the deadline for this important project to June 30, 2015. However, some difficulties remain unresolved. For the construction package of the bridge over the canal on National Highway 46 (package number 2), the contractor is a joint venture between Company 757 and Construction and Trading Company 747, but the actual capacity of the contractor is "problematic"; the total value of completed work has only reached 9,289 million VND, but the advance payment has reached 13,376 million VND, exceeding the completed work by 144%. This is also a reason why it is very difficult to urge the contractor to speed up the progress, and especially why a change of contractor is now necessary.

On April 10, 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also approved the adjustment of the construction drawings for the aforementioned package. Mr. Nguyen Van De, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “Most of the project's packages have been basically completed on schedule, and the difficulties and obstacles in the construction package for the bridge over the canal on National Highway 46 (package No. 2); and the construction package for the construction road and downstream canal (package No. 3) have been basically resolved. For package No. 2, Hoa Hiep Co., Ltd. has taken over the construction, and for package No. 3, the adjusted construction drawings have been approved, but the budget has not yet been approved because it exceeds the total investment.” Mr. Pham Duc Hanh, Director of Hoa Hiep Co., Ltd., said: “During the construction of the downstream canal, which is over 1.2 km long, the company encountered difficulties in finding suitable locations to dump the large volume of soil when dredging for the canal. If this issue is not resolved promptly, it will affect the completion of the project according to the extended schedule set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.”

In recent years, through investment support from the State and international organizations, several units and localities have been carrying out repairs and upgrades to a number of reservoirs and dams. To date, Quynh Luu district has 100 large and small irrigation reservoirs and dams, concentrated in mountainous communes such as Quynh Thang, Tan Thang, Quynh Tan, Tan Son, Quynh Tam, Ngoc Son… In addition to small-scale projects where the district proactively allocates funds to repair damage after storms, for larger projects, over the past two years (2014, 2015), the Provincial People's Committee has prioritized funding for the repair of dozens of large-scale projects in Quynh Luu, totaling hundreds of billions of VND.

In 2015 alone, the Provincial People's Committee invested 92 billion VND to repair and upgrade six large reservoirs and dams in the district, including the Ba Tuy dam (Quynh Tan), the Vung Da dam (Quynh Thang), the Hoc Met dam, the 3/2 reservoir (Tan Son), and the Khe Than reservoir (Quynh Tam)... With the close supervision and management of the District People's Committee and the responsible spirit of the contractors, the aforementioned reservoir and dam projects have ensured quality and progress, and are expected to be put into water storage during the upcoming rainy season to serve irrigation for the summer-autumn rice crop of 2015 and ensure water for production to combat drought in the spring crop of 2016...

Therefore, investing in upgrading and ensuring the safety of the reservoir and dam system in our province is currently very necessary, especially during the rainy and stormy season. However, the most important factor remains funding; for example, the Northern Irrigation Company Limited currently manages 17 reservoirs, of which 11 have been upgraded and 2 (Ba Tuy - Quynh Luu and Nha Tro - Yen Thanh) are under construction, leaving 4 reservoirs that urgently need investment for upgrading and repair to ensure safety before the rainy and stormy season, but are facing difficulties in securing funding...

Hoang Vinh