Accountability of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant

What does the plan say?

The flood prevention and control plan for the downstream area of ​​Ban Ve hydropower dam in 2018 was approved by the Provincial People's Committee on December 19, 2017 in Decision No. 6133/QD-UBND.According to Decision 6133, the Flood Prevention and Control Plan for the downstream area of ​​Ban Ve Hydropower Plant in 2018 was developed by Ban Ve Hydropower Company, proposed for approval by the Provincial People's Committee in Document No. 37/TTr-TDBV dated December 4, 2017; appraised by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Document No. 449/SNN-CCTL dated December 19, 2017.

Ban Ve Hydropower Plant releases floodwaters. Photo: Nhat Lan.

In the plan, Ban Ve Hydropower Company sets out flood discharge scenarios with different frequencies (flood frequency 5%, 3%, 1%; 0.5%; 0.1% ...); and calculate the level of impact to propose a group of solutions to handle. That is to determine and calculate flash flood routes and expected flooding areas; determine landslide areas requiring evacuation of people and property; plan evacuation points, prepare materials for evacuation; plan evacuation locations; determine rescue routes and evacuation routes; organize means of assistance to evacuate people and property from flooded areas; determine means of communication; develop a coordination plan with local authorities; organize response drills.

At the solutions ofFlood prevention and control plan for downstream areas of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant in 2018, specifically stating eachdetails of the work to be done. For example, with a frequency of 3%, Ban Ve Hydropower Company determines the flash flood route and the expected flooding area in the three communes of Yen Na, Luong Minh and Xa Luong (with Yen Na, it will be flooded over 64 hectares; Luong Minh flooded over 30 hectares; Xa Luong flooded over 5.6 hectares).

Yen Na and Luong Minh communes will have to evacuate 30 households, 133 people from Ve village, Coi village, Minh Phuong village, Xop Mat village and La village. The evacuated households of these villages will be moved to safe areas (for example, in Luong Minh commune, Xop Mat villagers will be evacuated to the People's Committee headquarters and the old commune health station; Minh Phuong villagers will be evacuated to the People's Committee and secondary school...).

A residential area in Ve village, Yen Na commune after the flood: Photo: Nhat Lan.

Regarding the coordination responsibility of Ban Ve Hydropower Company, when floods occur, it must promptly inform relevant agencies, downstream localities, adjacent hydropower plants, etc.; implement measures to prevent landslides in the factory area.

During flood discharge, coordinate with local authorities to send staff to check the landslide situation in downstream areas and rescue people when they are swept away by floodwaters or isolated in the floodwaters. In case of storms causing heavy rain, strong winds, landslides on the management and operation road, Ban Ve Hydropower Company will warn people, and at the same time conduct inspections, clean up trees and clear the road; if the road is heavily eroded and cannot be constructed, a temporary bypass will be built.

In case of landslides on both sides of the river, Ban Ve Hydropower Company shall notify the local authorities to coordinate measures to warn the people and monitor the level of landslides for post-flood handling. After the flood, coordinate with the local authorities to organize damage investigation and remedy the consequences according to regulations...

The "closet" option

Up to now, the lives of households in Ve, Minh Phuong, Xop Mat, and La villages (in Yen Na and Luong Minh communes) affected by the flood discharge on August 31 are still extremely difficult. The authorities of Tuong Duong district and Yen Na and Luong Minh communes are really confused even though they have done everything they can. For example, resettlement and stabilization of lives for households whose houses were swept away by floods and landslides (Luong Minh has 31 households, Yen Na has 15 households) have not been able to be implemented, due to the need to find land funds and lack of funds to build infrastructure.

Talk to responsible people in Yen Na and Luong Minh communes aboutDecision No. 6133 and Flood Prevention and Control Plan for the downstream area of ​​Ban Ve Hydropower Plant in 2018. Surprisingly, for them, this was the first time they heard about it.

Chairman of Yen Na Commune People's Committee, Mr. Luong Dai Thang, talked with reporters.

Mr. Luong Dai Thang - Chairman of Yen Na Commune People's Committee said that at the end of 2017, he was invited by Ban Ve Hydropower Company to attend the summary ceremony of flood prevention and control work.

However, I have never heard of the annual flood prevention plan for downstream areas of Ban Ve Hydropower Company and have never seen the company implement this plan.

Raising the question, in previous years and in 2018, did Yen Na commune and the people in the villages at risk of flooding when Ban Ve Hydropower Plant discharged floodwaters receive training or participate in flood prevention and control drills? Mr. Luong Dai Thang affirmed: Never! And Mr. Thang frankly said:“After the discharge at the end of August,Only the village management board, the Party Committee, the commune and district authorities care about the people, but Ban Ve Hydropower Plant hardly cares. They just give the people a few packs of instant noodles, a little money and then consider it done. Until now, the households that lost their homes are still living in the open without any sign of concern from them anymore…”

Discussing this issue with many officials of Tuong Duong district, they also confirmed that they have never seen Ban Ve Hydropower Company propose to coordinate to implement the contents as in the flood prevention and control plan for the downstream area. Con Cuong district is one of many localities named in the plan to be responsible for participating in coordinating the implementation of flood prevention plans, but they also do not know anything about the content of this plan.

Although it is a resettlement village, after the hydroelectric dam released floodwaters on August 31, the roads, garden land, and residential land of the people of Ve village, Yen Na commune were severely damaged and eroded. Photo: Nhat Lan.

Studying Decision 6133 and the Flood Prevention and Control Plan for the downstream area of ​​Ban Ve Hydropower Dam in 2018, it is found that the competent authorities foresee that when hydropower plants discharge flood water, it will cause consequences for the downstream area. Therefore, hydropower enterprises are forced to develop effective flood prevention and control plans to allow production and business activities.

With Ban Ve Hydropower Company, flood areas have been calculated according to each flood frequency. Investment has been made in research, basic solutions have been proposed to prevent and control floods to minimize damage to human life and property in the downstream area; as well as to overcome the consequences if any. However, the plan to prevent and control floods in the downstream area of ​​Ban Ve Hydropower Dam in 2018 was basically not implemented both before and after the flood. Is it possible that the establishment of a plan to prevent and control floods in the downstream area of ​​Ban Ve Hydropower Company was only to get the approval decision of the competent authority to include in the dossier to have enough documents to be allowed by their superiors to operate production and business?

Find out about the implementation of flood discharge on August 31, 2018 with discharge volume of over 4000m³/s corresponds to a flood frequency of 2%. In fact, the flood discharge on August 31 caused huge consequences to the downstream area, especially to residential areas near the dam. However, up to now, the actions showing the responsibility of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant have been very vague. Before the flood, they did not implement training and drill solutions...; after the flood, they did not coordinate with the locality to organize damage investigation and remedy the consequences according to regulations as proposed and approved by competent authorities, and required to be implemented.why?

We request that the relevant authorities pay attention to clarifying this issue!