Quynh Luu: People are worried about the risk of dam failure during the flood season

(Baonghean.vn) - The rainy and stormy season is approaching, but hundreds of households in Quynh Luu are worried because many dams are deteriorating and at risk of breaking at any time.

Quynh Chau commune currently has 13 large and small dams, of which 2 dams have large water reserves, Dong Nen dam and Dong Cau dam. Currently, these 2 dams are showing signs of deterioration, many termite nests appear around the dike, posing a potential risk of dam failure at any time.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Mui - Director of Dai Xuan Cooperative, Quynh Chau Commune said that currently, the local dams are all degraded, especially Dong Nen and Dong Cau. Because the dams were built manually in 1965, the dams are now being penetrated by termites, destroying the structure, and the risk of dam failure is very high when floods come.

According to research, the two dams above have a total reserve of 1.26 million m³, irrigating 90 hectares of agricultural production area of ​​the people. In 2013, during the historic flood, Dong Nen dam broke, water overflowed onto National Highway 48B. Fortunately, the local government deployed forces and means to respond promptly, so the consequences were controlled.

Dong Nen Dam in Quynh Chau Commune was built in 1965 and is now degraded, with termites eating away at the dike. Photo: Viet Hung

The whole district of Quynh Luu has 101 large and small dams, including 6 large reservoirs managed by the Irrigation Enterprise and 95 lakes managed by communes concentrated in the mountainous communes of Quynh Chau, Quynh Thang, Ngoc Son, Quynh Tam, Tan Son...

Up to now, 3 lakes managed by the Irrigation Enterprise and 26 lakes managed by communes have been invested in upgrading and repairing, with relatively good flood and storm prevention capabilities such as Ba Tuy dam, 3/2 dam, Tay Nguyen dam...

Currently, the two dams managed by the Irrigation Enterprise, including Khe Gang and Khe San in Quynh Thang commune, and the local dams, have been built for a long time, so the dam bodies are weak and can easily break when there is heavy rain and floods exceeding the design frequency. In particular, there are many households living around the vulnerable dams. Every time the rainy season comes, hundreds of households are worried about the risk of dam breakage.

Hoc Met Dam in Tan Son Commune is degraded, local authorities have to use sheet piles to cover the spillway to prevent water from flowing during floods. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thang - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district said that, implementing the plan to prevent natural disasters and floods, the district directed communes with dams to check and proactively arrange funds for repair and upgrading. At the same time, the district developed a separate flood and storm prevention plan for each dam, prepared materials and human resources to respond to and handle damage incidents during the rainy and stormy season, ensuring the safety of earth dams to prevent breakage./.

Viet Hung