Focus on resolving the existing problems at Khe Bo Hydropower project

Khe Bo hydroelectric reservoir. Photo: PV

New payment of 8.2 billion VND

Khe Bo Hydropower Plant Project with a capacity of 100MW was started in 2007. To implement the project, 564 households/2,450 people (20 villages in 4 communes, 1 town) had to be relocated and resettled. In 2013, Khe Bo Hydropower Plant came into operation. Total revenue is about 400 billion/year; the State budget contribution is about 95 billion/year.

However, the compensation, support and resettlement work at Khe Bo Hydropower Plant project still has many problems and obstacles (6 work contents, 45 existing problems, long-standing problems in 6 communes). To resolve, on November 16, 2020, the Standing Committee of Tuong Duong District Party Committee had a working session with the investor, Vietnam Electricity Development Joint Stock Company. After this working session, on November 24, 2020, the Standing Committee of Tuong Duong District Party Committee issued Conclusion Notice No. 73-TB/HU, stating the contents, existing problems and obstacles; at the same time, clearly pointing out the causes and outlining the tasks for Vietnam Electricity Development Joint Stock Company, with the main role of the investor, to coordinate with the authorities at 2 levels and relevant departments of the district to resolve them completely.

A household with issues related to the Khe Bo Hydropower project was invited by the Standing Committee of Tuong Duong District Party Committee to attend the meeting on November 24, 2020. Photo: PV

Implementing the conclusions of the Standing Committee of Tuong Duong District Party Committee, based on the compensation and support decisions approved by the People's Committee of Tuong Duong District, as of September 2021, the investor has paid 8.2 billion VND to the people.

In which, compensation payments approved before October 1, 2020 include:Compensation and support for residential land and agricultural land for households in Dinh Phong village, Tam Dinh commune affected by Khe Bo hydropower reservoir in the amount of 68,075,500 VND. Compensation and support for land according to Decision 1348 / QD-UBND dated November 28, 2016 in the amount of 837,100 VND. Compensation and support for residential land, garden land, agricultural land in the second phase for households in Dinh Phong village in the amount of 15,698,500 VND. Compensation for agricultural land in the first phase - Cua Rao 1 village; Khe Ngau village; Lo village - Xa Luong commune in the amount of 9,693,000 VND. Compensation and support for land in Hoa Binh town in the first phase in the amount of 52,725,000 VND.

Payment of approved compensation funds after October 1, 2020, including:Land compensation and support costs according to Decision 1491 /QD-UBND dated December 21, 2020 - Hydropower reservoir item in Thach Giam town, amount of 443,651,150 VND. Land compensation and support costs according to Decision 1490 /QD-UBND dated December 21, 2020 - Item: Agricultural land in construction site area (Tam Huong) amount of 2,599,464,000 VND. Land compensation and support according to Decision 1489 /QD-UBND dated December 21, 2020 - agricultural land item in Pung village, Yen Thang commune, amount of 529,832,660 VND. Compensation and support for land according to Decision 1538 / QD-UBND dated December 30, 2020, agricultural land items belonging to the Lau-Mac-Nhanh traffic route amounting to 441,905,300. Compensation and support for residential land and agricultural land for the Lau-Mac-Nhanh traffic route project, Thach Giam town (phase 2) amounting to 81,497,050 VND. Compensation and support for residential land and agricultural land in Pung village, Yen Thang commune amounting to 246,061,800 VND.

Particularly, from May to September 2021, the investor was approved by the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district for compensation plans in 25 decisions and made payments to the people of the following villages: Nhan, Lau, Mon, Chac, Tan Hop, Canh Trap, Na Tong, Cay Me, Pung, Canh, Luom, Dinh Tien (reservoir part), Dinh Thang, Dinh Huong, Dinh Phong, Xieng Huong, Khe Ngau, Cua Rao 1, Cua Rao 2, Lo, Thach Duong, Tam Duong, Dinh Tien, on the traffic route from Dinh Tien suspension bridge to Dinh Huong with a total amount of more than 3.69 billion VND.

People participate in cleaning up household waste on Khe Bo hydroelectric reservoir. Photo: PV

Agree on a timeline for final resolution

Despite the achievements, at present, the compensation, support and resettlement work of Khe Bo Hydropower project still has many problems and difficulties.As for the compensation records of the people of Mac, Khe Chi, and Lung villages, there is still no measurement map; currently, the consultant is in the process of submitting it to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for appraisal and approval. The compensation records of Mr. Luong Thai Binh's household do not have a measurement map; the investor is hiring a consultant to do so. The records of the encroached land between Dinh Huong and Canh Trap villages have publicly confirmed the origin in Notice No. 04/UBND dated February 22, 2021, but the origin of the land has not been confirmed by the commune-level authorities. The plan to compensate for the difference in land between the departure and destination places has not been agreed by the people. The work of granting land use right certificates is in the implementation phase of the consulting unit...

Regarding construction investment work to serve resettlement, there are still some unfinished items.Support for 68 households flooded in 2018 according to Document 1959/STC-QLG&CS dated June 4, 2021 of the Department of Finance, but 14/68 households did not agree with the investor's plan. The situation of lake pollution, although it has been happening for a long time, has not been addressed...

On September 28, 2021, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district continued to have a working session with the investor of Khe Bo Hydropower project and the authorities of communes and towns to re-evaluate the work of handling existing problems and difficulties. There were a number of objective reasons pointed out, such as: There were land plots that had been surveyed and mapped, but land compensation records had not been established because the land was in dispute; the land user was absent; the current land use status overlapped with land that had been granted a certificate to another person; the land user did not sign the records due to low land prices. Some locations that arose after the reservoir water was stored had to be surveyed and the records had to be adjusted. Due to the prolonged implementation of the project, some policies in compensation for land acquisition and clearance have changed, and land prices have changed. The handover work between the old Compensation and Clearance Council and the new Compensation and Clearance Council was not completed and prolonged...

Khe Bo Hydropower Plant.

But besides that, there are still subjective reasons of the related parties. For example, the investor is still not really responsible in resolving the existing problems and difficulties; has not provided timely records and documents that need to be adjusted and supplemented for areas that arise after the reservoir filling; the process of reviewing and preparing compensation records has shortcomings in some land plots. Regarding the propaganda, mobilization and explanation work for the people in the work of preparing BT-GPMB records is not complete, leading to people not signing the records such as compensation for the difference in land at the place of departure and the place of arrival in the resettlement areas (because the land value at the place of departure is lower than the land value at the place of arrival in the resettlement area). The staff performing BT-GPMB work is mainly part-time, some staff have limited qualifications. Some communes have not yet participated, there is a shift in responsibility...

It is known that at this working session, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district and the investor agreed to set a time frame to completely resolve the existing problems and difficulties, from October 30 to December 30, 2021. For example, compensation for residential land and agricultural land in Mac village, Khe Chi village, Lung village, striving to complete the compensation records before November 30, 2021. The records of encroached land between Dinh Huong village and Canh Trap village will be completed and submitted to the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district for approval before November 30, 2021. The work of granting land use right certificates will be completed by the consulting unit in November 2021. Support for 68 households flooded in 2018, with the participation of the two-level government to create consensus among the people, will be completed before October 30, 2021... Regarding the issue of handling the pollution situation in the reservoir area, the investor will also make a plan to proceed with waste collection.

In reality, the problems and difficulties in the Khe Bo hydropower project have been going on for a long time, creating negative public opinion and causing resentment among the people. Therefore, Vietnam Electricity Development Joint Stock Company must properly demonstrate its role and responsibility as an investor, have good coordination with the authorities of the two levels of Tuong Duong district, and relevant departments to focus on thoroughly resolving the problems and difficulties.