Need solutions to operate water supply project worth over 400 billion VND in Quan Ba

BHG - The project of the reservoir for regulating irrigation and domestic water supply system for 3 communes of Can Ty, Dong Ha and Lung Tam of Quan Ba ​​district (3-commune reservoir project) has a total investment after approval of the final settlement of nearly 410 billion VND. The project has been completed, handed over and put into operation and exploitation since 2022. However, since then, people have never used water from this project.

Domestic water regulation reservoir water has hit bottom

The goal is to provide water to 1,700 households and irrigate 380 hectares of agricultural land.

The project of 3 communes lake was approved by the Provincial People's Committee in 2009, approved the investment decision in 2013, the total investment after the final settlement approval is over 409.9 billion VND. The project is invested by the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects (DTXD) of agricultural and rural works (formerly). This is an urgent key project of great significance, creating a driving force to promote socio-economic development, providing water for production and daily life, ensuring security, material and spiritual life for ethnic minorities; is a multi-functional "hanging lake" project serving tourism , landscape of the Stone Plateau and providing irrigation water for 380 hectares of rice, crops and domestic water for 1,700 households, gradually improving the lives of people in the area, moving towards sustainable development.

The project is designed to include 2 reservoirs with a total capacity of 40,000m3 (1 reservoir of 10,000m3 for regulating domestic water supply, 1 reservoir of 30,000m3 for regulating production water); a new canal of over 9,500m, an upgraded old canal of over 2,533m for regulating irrigation water for agricultural production; a domestic water supply pipeline of over 40,000m. In addition, the project also includes items such as: Head dam, water intake culvert, filtration station, internal road, operation management house and construction of 192 new water tanks (capacity of 5 - 10m3) in residential areas...

This project was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) for technical advice and was highly appreciated for its urgent need to be built. At the same time, it received consensus and response from the people of the three communes of Dong Ha, Lung Tam, and Can Ty.

Reservoir regulates irrigation water for agricultural land in general condition

After 3 years of acceptance and handover, it is still not possible to operate and supply water.

After the project was completed, on August 19, 2022, the Project Management Board of Agricultural and Rural Development Construction Investment and related units accepted and handed over the project to the People's Committee of Quan Ba ​​district for operation and exploitation. Mr. Nguyen Song Tu, Deputy Director of the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board (Director of the former Agricultural and Rural Development Construction Investment Project Management Board - Project Investor) said: “Before handing over the project to the district, the Board and the construction unit tested it many times, ensuring that the items and systems were in accordance with the design and technical standards. The relevant units all agreed to put the project into management and operation from the date of acceptance; the construction contractor is responsible for the warranty of the project according to regulations; the relevant units have no requests for repairs, additional completion or other opinions about the Project. In addition, in early 2024, the Board, together with the construction unit, inspected and reviewed the entire current status of the project's water supply system and advised and supported Quan Ba ​​district on the management, exploitation and operation plan”.

The upstream dam has no water coming in.

However, people in the three communes of Dong Ha, Can Ty, and Lung Tam reported that it has been three years since the project was completed, but no households have ever used water. Ms. Chu Thi Chuyen, a land officer in Lung Tam commune, affirmed: I directly participated in supervising the trial operation of the water supply of the 3-commune Lake Project. All three times of trial operation, water reached the tanks in residential areas. But after the handover for exploitation, no water was seen. Although the people's need for water for daily life and irrigation, especially in the dry season, is very urgent, no household has been able to use water from this project since its completion.

Ms. Hang Thi My, Hop Tien village, Lung Tam commune said: My house is next to the water tank built by the project but has never used water. My family has to draw water from Tung Nun village to use. The water source is not much and flows by itself, many households draw water together so sometimes we have to wait at night to collect water when the water comes, so we have to use it very sparingly, only daring to bathe or do laundry once a week. I hope that the authorities and sectors will soon operate the project so that our people will suffer less because of the lack of water.

Dry irrigation canal system

Not only in Lung Tam, Mr. Ta Van Dung, Trang Kim village, Dong Ha commune shared: My family lives right at the foot of the project but currently still has to use well water with other households in the residential area. People in Trang Kim village have a great need for water for daily life and business, but most of the people draw water from upstream or drill wells for use and have not been able to use water from the project.

The status of the 3-commune Lake Project has been completed and put into operation, but people have not been able to use the water. People in the project communes have repeatedly petitioned the local authorities during meetings with voters of the People's Council at the commune and district levels, but have not yet received a satisfactory answer.

Slow to put into operation, upstream water is occupied

According to research, although the handover was in 2022, for some reason, after 2 years, on May 29, 2024, the People's Committee of Quan Ba ​​district issued Decision No. 1619 on assigning the management and operation of the 3-commune Lake Project to the district's Center for Public Services, Environment and Water Supply and Drainage for exploitation and operation. After 1 year of receiving the handover, the Center still cannot operate the project and people still cannot use water!

Ms. Hang Thi My, Hop Tien village, Lung Tam commune lives right next to the water tank but has never used water.

Answering the question, why has this project not been operated and exploited? The Quan Ba ​​Environmental Public Service and Water Supply and Drainage Center explained: Because there is no water to operate. Especially in these dry months. The upstream water source is exhausted, there is no water flowing to the main dam so it cannot be supplied to the regulating lakes.

Directly inspecting the head dam area and 2 water regulating reservoirs of the 3-commune Lake Project in mid-March, we recorded that not a single drop of water flowed back, the water level in the water regulating reservoirs were all at dead water level, touching the bottom! Meanwhile, according to the survey results of the professional unit when establishing the investment project (2012), the water flow at the driest time of the water source serving the project reached 0.152m3/s, equivalent to over 13,132m3/day and night. In fact, currently, when we went upstream to survey, the water source still maintained a regular flow, with a large flow but the flow was blocked, collecting water into pipes to be brought to households and businesses for their own use. There are hundreds of large and small water collection pipes of all sizes from large to small, plugged densely in the source water veins.

The water tanks in residential areas do not have a single drop of water.

The minutes of the meeting between Quan Ba ​​district and the project investor in January 2024, through the inspection of the current status of the relevant parties, also confirmed: "The current status of the water source for the project has been blocked by households and businesses upstream of the dam leading into the pipeline for their own use, causing the water to the dam to be limited, requiring effective management and regulation". Perhaps this is really the main reason why the source water cannot flow to the main water collection dam. But why does Quan Ba ​​district not intervene to solve this problem?

Responding to the above question, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quan Ba ​​District Hang Duong Thanh informed: The district has grasped this issue and discussed with the people to find a solution, but there is no feasible solution yet, because it is related to the interests of households drawing water from this water source. The district is looking for a solution to handle the water source dispute in this area, both ensuring the rights of the people and exploiting the project most effectively.

Many people's water pipes are occupying upstream water.

Quan Ba ​​District has grasped the cause but has not been able to resolve the situation of water resource appropriation in 3 years. In the near future, when the district-level government is abolished and a 2-level local government is implemented, which level will resolve the above problem? When will this project be exploited and operated? Considering that water is a national resource, the National Assembly has passed and promulgated the Law on Water Resources 2023 with full legal basis for state management agencies at all levels (province, district, commune) to manage and exploit according to regulations. Quan Ba ​​District has full authority and function to implement. We cannot let some individuals, for their own benefit, affect thousands of households, causing waste of hundreds of billions of VND of the State's money.

Faced with the above situation, it is recommended that the specialized sectors of the province and Quan Ba ​​district intervene, inspect, evaluate and resolve the upstream water dispute of the 3-commune Lake Project, and at the same time have a long-term plan to operate and exploit the project effectively and in accordance with regulations, especially when the district-level administrative unit is abolished.

  Reporter: Trung Nhan

Source: https://baohagiang.vn/xa-hoi/202505/can-co-giai-phap-van-hanh-cong-trinh-cap-nuoc-tren-400-ty-dong-o-quan-ba-d6416d3/