People's death at hydroelectric dam: Investor admits subjectivity

Investigation into the death of a person after the Nam Non hydropower plant discharged its gates

(Baonghean.vn) - Mr. Kha Van Ot - Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee affirmed that the authorities have investigated and clarified the cause of the incident.

On May 24, answering reporters from Nghe An Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Toan - Deputy General Director of Nghe An Energy Development Corporation, the investor of Nam Non Hydropower Plant, admitted: Partly due to subjectivity in regulating the amount of water in the reservoir, thinking that the amount of water was not large, so the brothers did not issue a notice, a bit subjective.

"Regarding the operating procedures of the on-duty crew, the investigation agency is currently investigating. We will soon respond when there is an official conclusion," said Mr. Toan.

Residential area of ​​Xieng Huong village near the foot of the hydroelectric dam. Photo: PV

Mr. Vi Van Dung (residing in Xieng Huong village, Xa Luong commune), the first person to discover the incident, said that at that time, he saw water from the hydroelectric dam releasing water from the gate, and Mr. May's family was rowing a boat to catch fish at the foot of the dam.

"I shouted loudly and waved my hands hoping the factory's camera would recognize me, but there was no signal that the factory had stopped discharging. I had to drive into the factory to notify the operator, only then did the operator close the discharge gate," said Mr. Dung.

Standing on the factory floor looking down, Mr. Dung witnessed the image of the boat capsized, Mr. Than was lucky to hold on to the boat, but Mr. May was submerged. "Normally, every time the factory releases water, there is a siren announcement and it takes 30 minutes to release water, but yesterday there was no such announcement," Mr. Dung affirmed.

Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Chuong Van Thanh - Head of Xieng Huong village, Xa Luong commune also affirmed: "For a long time, every time the factory released water, they called the village chief to announce it through the loudspeaker, and at the same time sent 2-3 people to check the area at the foot of the dam, then blew the whistle, about 30 minutes later they released water, but this time there was no sound."

Village Chief Chuong Van Thanh. Photo: PV

As reported by Nghe An Newspaper, at around 2:00 p.m. on May 23, Vi Van May and his younger brother Vi Van Than, both residents of Xa Luong Commune, were rowing a boat near the Nam Non Hydropower Dam when the plant released water. However, the two brothers could not get out of the discharge area in time, the water was released so strongly that the boat capsized.

As soon as the incident was discovered, the locals informed the factory to close the spillway. Mr. Than was fortunately saved by the locals, but Mr. May was swept away and disappeared. It was not until more than 2 hours later (around 4:00 p.m. the same day) that the body of the victim Vi Van May was found 50 meters from the original boat location.

The body of Vi Van May was found about 50m from where the boat capsized. Photo: Thach Quynh

Believing that Mr. May's death was due to the Nam Non hydroelectric plant releasing water without notifying the authorities as before, leading to the boat capsizing accident, the victim's family surrounded the plant last night, demanding that the plant clarify its responsibilities.

It was not until 2:00 a.m. on May 24, with the intervention of local authorities, directly directed by Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Secretary of Tuong Duong District Party Committee, after making a record of the incident between Nam Non Hydropower Plant, the victim's family and local authorities, that relatives brought May's body home for burial.