Ensuring safety of dams and reservoirs during flood season

Nui Coc Lake has an area of 25 km2, a capacity of 175 million cubic meters of water, is safely operated, and has a warning system for downstream areas.

The remaining reservoirs managed by localities are showing many shortcomings and are deteriorating. The province is implementing many solutions to ensure the safety of dams and reservoirs during this year's flood season.

Thai Nguyen Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited was assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to manage 104 of the province's largest irrigation reservoirs. The company has established a thorough and systematic operating system from maintenance procedures to installation of monitoring and warning equipment. Typically, Nui Coc Lake has an area of 25 km2, a capacity of 175 million cubic meters of water with flood control gates, is a typical example of safe operation, with a project protection plan and a warning system for downstream areas.

Chairman of Thai Nguyen Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited Nguyen Van Hung said: “All works managed by the Company have maintenance procedures; more than 99% have installed monitoring equipment; many works have flood maps of downstream areas. Thanks to that, these works are not on the list of projects at risk of being unsafe, providing regular water supply to rice and tea growing areas, industrial production, and domestic water supply for people”.

According to the assessment of dam and reservoir quality in 2025 in Thai Nguyen province, there are 314 safe reservoirs (level A), 120 basically safe reservoirs and one reservoir (Tam Quang reservoir in Phu Luong district) with high risk of unsafety (level C).

However, many construction items were damaged: 80 dams were slightly leaking, 37 dam slopes were eroded, 35 spillways were not reinforced with concrete or stone, and water pipes were damaged. Most of these projects were small projects managed by district level, lacking design documents, maintenance funds, and technical personnel for regular operation and inspection. Many small reservoirs built before 1980 no longer have design documents, so it is impossible to establish effective operating, inspection, or emergency response procedures. Some localities do not have the capacity to establish irrigation teams with technical expertise, and have to assign part-time operations to staff without proper training.

Deputy Director of Thai Nguyen Department of Agriculture and Environment Duong Van Hao said: “We continue to recommend that competent authorities pay attention to supporting investment funding for the renovation, repair and upgrading of dams and reservoirs; strengthen the direction of localities and project management units to regularly, continuously and without interruption when implementing the arrangement and reorganization of administrative units at all levels, especially during the rainy and stormy season this year. Localities need to balance the budget, arrange qualified human resources to manage and operate reservoirs, regularly inspect, supervise and monitor project safety to promptly detect and handle risks of incidents”.

Thai Nguyen province has directed localities to coordinate with the police force and related units to inspect and detect violations of construction safety; persistently propagate and mobilize people to raise awareness of protecting lakes and dams, protecting the water environment for production and life.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/bao-dam-an-toan-dap-ho-chua-mua-mua-lu-post891760.html