Many spillway works are degraded and damaged.

(Baonghean) -In the flood in early September last year, three spillways across the main roads in Tien Ky and Dong Van communes (Tan Ky district) were seriously eroded, causing traffic jams for many days. A year later, these spillways have only been temporarily repaired, some are still in their original state, so the "recurrence" of landslides during the rainy season in Tan Ky will continue to happen!

Khe Than spillway is right at the beginning of Tien Ky commune. During the flood in September last year, the water swept away the entire 100m long section of earth and rock at both ends of the spillway, causing traffic to stagnate and become blocked. People living in the area had to make rafts to pull people back and forth on this road, which was very dangerous to their lives when the floodwaters rose high and flowed rapidly. Although both sides of the spillway were filled with earth and rock so that vehicles could pass through relatively easily, when the rainy and stormy season had not yet arrived, but according to our observations, Khe Than's bed was hundreds of meters wide, the concrete spillway was only about 70 - 80m long right in the middle of the stream, and the two sides of the spillway, which was 100m long, were only filled with earth and rock, and the two sides of the slope were not carefully built.

When there is heavy rain, the water of Khe Than rises high, flows strongly, and can easily sweep away all the soil and rocks. Mr. Tan, a resident living next to Khe Than spillway, worries: Every year, when the rainy season comes, Khe Than spillway collapses, making it impossible to travel. We have to make rafts out of bamboo and wood to transport people and students back and forth. If the raft's winch rope breaks, the consequences will be unpredictable. The people's wish is that the State invests in building a solid bridge across Khe Than, or else redesign the spillway to be solid so that after the flood recedes, it can still be passed normally.

Khe Dien spillway was damaged by the flood in September 2012 and has not been repaired yet.

Coming to Tan Binh spillway of Dong Van commune, this spillway was washed away by the flood water during last year's flood, half of its length was built with reinforced concrete. People living in the area had to build a temporary bridge across the stream for people to cross. Each time they crossed the bridge, each person had to pay 5-10 thousand VND, causing resentment among people living in the area. Now the spillway has been rebuilt, and both sides of the spillway's abutments have been built with rubble. However, according to our observations, both sides of the spillway's abutments have been eroded and cracked by the recent early rains. An official of Dong Van commune said that the spillway was built a long time ago, but has not been accepted because it is said that the construction unit built it incorrectly according to the design?

Tan Binh spillway was not only built with incorrect design but also damaged in many places.

Also on that route, about 500 meters from Tan Binh spillway, is Khe Dien spillway. Along with last year's flood, the water has eroded many places on the spillway surface, making travel very difficult. Today, returning, this spillway is still in its original state, rocks and jagged holes all over the spillway surface, making it difficult for vehicles to pass through. It is thought that the local government needs to invest funds to repair the spillway surface, to ensure smooth traffic when the rainy season comes. Otherwise, when there is prolonged heavy rain, this spillway surface is very susceptible to complete landslides, at which time the cost to repair it will certainly be very large!
It is known that in 2013, Tan Ky district received more than 2.3 billion VND from the State to repair and ensure traffic during the flood season, for 6 projects that were severely damaged during the storm season in 2012. However, the solution to fix the spillways in Dong Van and Tien Ky that were not yet solidified during this year's flood season is very susceptible to damage. Regarding Tan Binh spillway, the leader of the district's Department of Industry and Trade said that the project was built with a capital of 542 million VND, the construction unit, Tan Hung Design and Construction Consulting Joint Stock Company (Vinh City), made a mistake in the design. (After winning the bid, this unit arbitrarily carried out the construction without notifying the Project Management Board, so after inspection, it discovered errors compared to the approved design). The Project Management Board has drawn up a record, requiring the contractor to rebuild according to the design before accepting the project.

Article and photos: Xuan Hoang