Ke Khoang "water bag" and the problem of Chau Binh drainage canal
The flooding in Ke Khoang village, Chau Binh commune in the early morning of July 23 was caused by prolonged heavy rain and the release of floodwaters from hydroelectric plants causing the Hieu river to rise and overflow, but, partly because the drainage canal system has not yet functioned properly!
Nhat Lan• 07/31/2025
The flooding in Ke Khoang village, Chau Binh commune in the early morning of July 23 was caused by prolonged heavy rain, along with the release of floodwaters from hydroelectric plants causing the Hieu river to rise and overflow, but partly because the drainage canal system has not yet functioned properly!
On the whole day of July 22, due to the influence of storm No. 3, Chau Binh commune had heavy and prolonged rain. In the evening of the same day, a number of hydroelectric plants in Que Phong district (old) simultaneously discharged floodwaters with large flows, causing the water level of Hieu river to rise very quickly. At 2:00 a.m. on July 23, the water level of Hieu river rose high and overflowed the construction area of auxiliary dam No. 3 (a project belonging to Ban Mong Irrigation Reservoir Project), along with the heavy rain on July 22, causing flooding in some areas in the center of Chau Binh commune, especially in Ke Khoang village and National Highway 48.
Participating in the storm prevention and control on July 22, Deputy Head of Chau Binh Commune Economic Department, Mr. Bui Hoang Tung said: On July 22, there was continuous rain, so some areas near Co Ba Bridge, Ke Khoang and Ke Tam villages... were slightly flooded. By dawn on July 23, water from Hieu River rose rapidly, overflowing the construction area of auxiliary dam No. 3, causing flooding in many production areas and residential villages of Chau Binh Commune, especially Ke Khoang Village. At this time, at the construction area of auxiliary dam No. 3, there was the Ban Mong Irrigation Project Management Board and the construction unit on duty. They mobilized human resources and machinery to fill the soil, but because the soil was soggy, they could not stop the water from overflowing.
According to Mr. Tung, from around 10pm on July 22, the commune received a call from the provincial Flood and Storm Prevention and Control Command Board informing that the hydroelectric plants above were releasing flood water at a large flow rate, which could cause flooding in Chau Binh commune. Determining that Ke Khoang village is a low-lying area, Chau Binh commune forces immediately went to knock on the doors of each household in Ke Khoang village to help people move people and valuable assets to a safe area to avoid flooding.
The work of helping people evacuate to avoid flooding lasted until 3am on July 23. At this time, the water level had risen very high, with some areas already flooded with 1.5 - 2m of water..."
Mr. Bui Hoang Tung - Deputy Head of Chau Binh Commune Economic Department
Directly commanding the forces of Chau Binh commune to prevent and fight against storm No. 3, Mr. Lo Van The - Chairman of Chau Binh Commune People's Committee said that by the end of July 21, the commune had grasped the entire population in the area leaving the production areas to return home; including 8 Mong people residing in Chau Binh commune working in rubber gardens, the commune's forces were also welcomed from the forest, arranged accommodation to ensure safety. Although the preparations for storm prevention and control were so thorough, however, due to heavy rain on July 22, late at night the water of Hieu River overflowed the construction area of auxiliary dam 3, so the cadres and people of Chau Binh commune had a very hard time.
“At around 10pm on July 22, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Quoc Viet urgently called to inform that hydroelectric plants were releasing floodwater, which could cause flooding. Therefore, we had to mobilize forces to organize the evacuation of people and valuable assets to a safe area. In the construction area of auxiliary dam No. 3, from the opening of the flood water outlet to Hieu River, but when the water level of Hieu River rose and overflowed, we had to build a dam to block it. Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hao and leaders of the Ban Mong Irrigation Project Management Board on duty there directed the construction unit to build a dam to prevent the river from overflowing. However, the water level of Hieu River was too high, the dam was wet, and the incident happened in the middle of the night, so it could not be prevented. Therefore, many areas of Chau Binh Commune were flooded, Ke Khoang Village and National Highway 48 were deeply flooded…”, Mr. Lo Van The shared.
On July 24, 2025, Chau Binh Commune People's Committee issued Report No. 42/BC-UBND identifying the impact of storm No. 3 combined with heavy rain causing flooding, roofing damage and isolation of 95 households in Ke Khoang, Dong Phau, Ke Nam, Ke Mong, 3/4, Quynh 2 and Binh Quang villages; Ke Khoang village area and National Highway 48, section Km 68 + 500 and section Km 72 + 700 were flooded over 1.5m deep. Storms and floods caused damage to Chau Binh commune of nearly 1.3 billion VND.
The material damage is not small, but what makes the Party Committee and the government of Chau Binh commune worried is the situation of "flooding every time it rains", especially Ke Khoang village has become a "water bag" when there is heavy rain. Chairman of Chau Binh commune People's Committee Lo Van The assessed that in the recent days of storms and floods, thanks to the No. 1 auxiliary dam, the flow of Co Ba stream has been blocked, reducing a large amount of water from the stream overflowing into the center of Chau Binh commune. The cause of the flooding is due to prolonged heavy rain, along with the discharge of floodwaters from hydroelectric plants in Que Phong district (old), causing the water level of Hieu river to rise and overflow. However, the flooding is also caused by the Chau Binh drainage system when it has not yet promoted its drainage function, especially in conditions of heavy rain and simultaneous discharge of floodwaters.
The reason for such an assessment is that the People's Committee of Chau Binh commune has organized an inspection and review of the entire drainage canal system passing through the area. The review shows that some sections of the canal have been eroded and filled, reducing the flow area. The drainage canal section through Ke Khoang village reuses the old stream bed, which has not been renovated, the stream bed is small and narrow, and cannot drain water in time; not only that, the drainage canal section through Ke Khoang village is also at a higher elevation than the drainage canal sections in Ke Nam, Quynh 1, Quynh 2 villages, causing water to stagnate at the head of the canal, slowing down the overall drainage process of the entire route.
Regarding the central area of Chau Binh commune, including the villages: Dong Phau, Ke Tam, Ke Khoang, Ke Nam, 3/4, Quynh 1, Quynh 2, with thousands of households living. Currently, auxiliary dam No. 1 has been blocked, and in the near future, auxiliary dam No. 3 will be blocked. Along with the surrounding hill system, the central area of Chau Binh commune will become a basin, and surface water drainage will depend entirely on the drainage canal system. Therefore, with the current poor drainage canal system, the center of Chau Binh commune will become a flooded area during the rainy season.
“Given this reality, the People’s Committee of Chau Binh commune recommends that superiors urgently inspect and re-evaluate the entire drainage canal system, especially the section through Ke Khoang village. It is necessary to consider lowering the elevation of the first section of the drainage canal through Ke Khoang village, renovating and expanding the canal section using the old slot to increase drainage capacity. At the same time, urgent measures should be taken to clear the silted and eroded areas to reduce flooding for people during peak storms and floods…”, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Chau Binh commune Lo Van The shared.
During 2 days (July 22-23), we were present in Chau Binh commune and witnessed deep flooding in Ke Khoang village and National Highway 48.
These days, we have also seen the weak state of the Chau Binh drainage system, leading to negative impacts on people's garden and residential land. According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son - Head of Construction Management Department, Department of Agriculture and Environment, after many years of construction, the Chau Binh drainage canal has been degraded, silted, and eroded. Therefore, recently, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has requested the contractor who previously constructed the drainage canal to organize dredging to clear the flow. At the same time, it is affirmed that this is only a situational solution during the flood season. In the decision to adjust the project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, there is a solution for the Chau Binh drainage canal.
The Ministry has directed the consulting unit to inspect and re-evaluate the entire Chau Binh drainage canal, and arrange a capital of 80 billion VND to implement it by the end of this year...".
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son - Head of Construction Management Department - Department of Agriculture and Environment
Talking about solutions to deal with the existing problems in the Chau Binh drainage system and the landslides of garden and residential land of households on both sides of the canal, Head of Construction Management Department - Department of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Xuan Son said: “Solutions for the vulnerable canal sections have been considered. Specifically, it will be necessary to reinforce and harden the vulnerable and eroded locations…”.
