Shrimp farmers in Quynh Luu are anxiously awaiting the seawater supply project.

The project has been completed but not yet put into use.

Visiting the shrimp farming area in Dong Hung hamlet, Quynh Bang commune on January 7th, it was observed that most ponds and lagoons have been and are being treated and renovated by the people, preparing for the main shrimp farming season in 2025. When asked about the water source for shrimp farming, the people all complained. The Project to build a seawater supply system for industrial shrimp farming according to VietGAP standards in Quynh Bang commune (hereinafter referred to as the Project), although completed a long time ago, has not yet been put into operation. Even the water supply sluice of the centralized reservoir has been damaged for a long time and has not been repaired.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Tinh, owner of a shrimp farm in Dong Hung hamlet, expressed: His family owns four ponds with a total area of ​​1 hectare. Preparations for the main shrimp farming season are now complete, and they are just waiting for the water to come in before releasing the fry. Not only his family, but all shrimp farmers here hope that this season they will be able to use seawater supplied by the Project for the shrimp farming area.

"I don't understand why the project, which was completed at the end of 2023, hasn't been put into operation yet, preventing people from benefiting. The main shrimp farming season is approaching, but the project is still stalled, and shrimp farmers have to rely on water from the Mai Giang River, which is very uncertain. I hope that in the coming time, the relevant authorities will soon put the project into operation so that shrimp farmers can worry less about shrimp diseases," Mr. Tinh said.

Mr. Ho Dang Tam, Director of Quynh Bang General Agricultural Cooperative, stated: "The cooperative is facing difficulties regarding water supply for shrimp farming areas. If the district has a specific plan to hand over the project to the cooperative for management and operation, the cooperative will wait to operate the seawater supply into the reservoir. If the district does not yet have a plan to hand over the project, please inform the cooperative so that we can plan to obtain water from the Mai Giang River..."

Mr. Tam explained that the water intake system has two gates, designed with sluice gates that can be raised and lowered, with the purpose of drawing water from the Mai Giang River into the reservoir. Accordingly, when the tide rises, the sluice gates are raised to draw water into the reservoir; when the tide recedes, the sluice gates are lowered to retain water in the reservoir.

However, both sluice gates are currently damaged. One gate was damaged shortly after handover, and the construction unit dismantled it for repairs several days ago, but no repairs have been made yet. The other gate is also damaged and cannot be raised any further. The local authorities are requesting that the construction unit promptly repair the damage before the main shrimp farming season.

This is an important and practical project for shrimp farmers.

The project to build a seawater supply system for industrial shrimp farming according to VietGAP standards in Quynh Bang commune was invested in by the State starting in early 2021, with a total investment of 60 billion VND. By the end of 2023, the project was basically completed, with the main items including: land clearance; pumping system (including suction and supply); power lines; operation building; canals and reservoirs.

However, to date, more than a year after its completion, the project has still not been handed over to the local authorities for management and operation. Given this situation, on October 18, 2024, the People's Committee of Quynh Luu District held a meeting with the District Investment and Construction Project Management Board and the People's Committee of Quynh Bang Commune regarding the transfer of assets and the management and operation of the VietGAP-certified seawater supply system for shrimp farming in Quynh Bang Commune.

Accordingly, the District People's Committee requested the District Investment and Construction Project Management Board to complete the project's final settlement in November 2024; to take the lead in coordinating with the Finance and Planning Department to advise the District People's Committee on the plan for handing over project assets according to regulations; and to coordinate with the People's Committee of Quynh Bang commune and relevant units in providing the project's design documents to prepare a dossier requesting the Provincial People's Committee to support funding for the use of public irrigation products and services in 2025 for the area of ​​irrigation and drainage serving aquaculture in Quynh Bang commune.

Quynh Luu District assigned the construction unit, Minh Quang Limited Liability Company, to rectify any shortcomings in accordance with the design documents approved by the competent authority; to coordinate with the District's Investment and Construction Project Management Board to conduct trial operation of the seawater supply system; and to coordinate with relevant units to promptly complete the final settlement of the project and put it into use to maximize investment efficiency.

Mr. Vu Van Duong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Bang commune, said: Although the District People's Committee had held a specific meeting and assigned responsibilities to each department, and it was thought that the project would be handed over soon, after more than two months, the District Investment and Construction Project Management Board has not yet conducted trial operation of the project, and the district has not yet provided solutions to support its operation, so the commune has not yet received the project. Even the issue of the water regulating sluice gate from the Mai Giang River into the reservoir has not been resolved, so we cannot talk about handing over the project to the locality.

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The local authorities desire that the District Investment and Construction Project Management Board coordinate with the commune to conduct trial runs of the project's pumping station to determine electricity consumption, water consumption, and machine capacity, thereby making specific cost calculations for long-term shrimp farming; after which, complete all project items and hand them over to the local authorities for management. Furthermore, the most important issue is that, in addition to the financial support from irrigation fees for the 35 hectares, the district needs to find other solutions to provide additional funding for the operation of the pumping station. The shrimp farming area in Quynh Bang covers nearly 100 hectares, and pumping seawater to supply the entire area would cost billions of dong annually. Meanwhile, shrimp farming has faced many risks due to disease outbreaks over the years, making the economic conditions of the local people difficult.

Mr. Vu Van Duong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Bang Commune

Mr. Hoang Van Cuong, Director of the Investment and Construction Project Management Board of Quynh Luu District, said: To date, the board has not finalized the project's accounts due to incomplete documentation and the failure to conduct trial runs. Currently, the board is focusing on completing all necessary documents and procedures to finalize the project's accounts in January 2025. Simultaneously, the district needs to provide funding to support operation so that the board can hand over the project to the local authorities for management and operation. The project is still under warranty and needs to be operational; if any problems arise, the construction unit is responsible for warranty repairs.

Mr. Hoang Van Cuong also stated that the water supply culvert of the reservoir was repaired using funds from the Project to build a seawater supply system for industrial shrimp farming according to VietGAP standards in Quynh Bang commune, with a budget of over 100 million VND. Since it is still under warranty, the committee is requesting the construction unit to be responsible for the repairs.

For many years now, farmed shrimp in Nghe An province in general, and Quynh Bang commune in particular, have frequently died due to disease, partly caused by water pollution.

Therefore, Quynh Luu district needs decisive solutions to ensure that the project to build a seawater supply system for industrial shrimp farming according to VietGAP standards in Quynh Bang commune is put into operation soon, and not be left idle for too long, causing a waste of state investment capital.

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