Blocking the flow of Upper Krong Pach Reservoir: Results from determination and companionship

08:03, 23/03/2023

On the morning of March 22, the Upper Krong Pach Reservoir officially blocked the flow and stored water. This event is of great significance in ensuring water security, contributing to restructuring local agriculture , and protecting and developing the natural ecosystem of the project area and surrounding areas.

The Upper Krong Pach Reservoir Project was approved in principle by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in 2009. By 2011, the project was among the projects that had to delay progress, so it was officially launched in 2013. Up to now, the project has been implemented for more than 10 years and has had several adjustments, causing the total investment to increase.

The companionship of the political system

The Upper Krong Pach Reservoir Project is invested by the Irrigation Construction and Investment Management Board 8 and the Project Management Board for Investment in Construction of Transport Works and Rural Development of Dak Lak Province. The project passes through 4 districts of Dak Lak Province: Ea Kar, M'Drak, Krong Bong and Krong Pac. Due to its large scale and wide area of influence, the project implementation process has faced many difficulties, but thanks to the drastic participation of the entire political system of Dak Lak Province, the flow has been blocked at the present time.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Y Bier Nie, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep and delegates attended the ceremony to block the flow and store water for the Upper Krong Pach Reservoir Project.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep, the implementation of this project has many problems, first of all, the site, to implement this project, it is necessary to relocate 810 households, of which 720 households in the upper Krong Pach reservoir area alone will be relocated, the remaining 90 households in the Ea Rot reservoir area. In addition, more than 1,000 households are affected. The most difficult thing in relocating residents in the Central Highlands in general and in the upper Krong Pach Reservoir Project in particular is the origin of the land. Because in the remote areas of the Central Highlands, there is a situation of spontaneous migration, combined with poor management by the locality, leading to many difficulties in determining the origin of the land. During the implementation of the project, the compensation support policy changed 4 times, each time the cost was higher than the previous time. Initially, the estimated resettlement cost was about 500 billion VND, but now it has to be added 1,400 billion VND due to policy changes, leading to difficulties in allocating enough capital for the project.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep added that, according to the policy of the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government, the resettlement area must ensure that the new place of residence is better than the old place of residence. These criteria depend on the investor coordinating with the locality to clearly determine each specific project, but must ensure synchronization of infrastructure and accommodation (electricity, roads, schools, stations, etc.). When choosing resettlement land, it must be large, suitable for planning, and convenient for transportation. For example, for resettlement area No. 2 of this project, it is only a few hundred meters from the main road, in addition, this area also has a highway passing through, the land value will increase, the appearance of the countryside will change. Along with that, it must ensure the production activities of the people in the resettlement area. The big lesson in history about resettlement arrangement is to only build houses for resettled people, even build the same. But with this project, only land is arranged, and the people will build houses according to their culture.

Serving the restructuring of the agricultural sector

The Upper Krong Pach Reservoir Project has two reservoirs: Ea Rot reservoir with a capacity of nearly 20 million m3 of water, irrigating nearly 2,150 hectares, has been completed and put into use, providing water for the downstream area, including resettlement area No. 1 (now Yang San village, Cu Elang commune, Ea Kar district); Upper Krong Pach reservoir with a capacity of 123 million m3 of water, providing irrigation water for about 12,000 hectares in Ea Kar district and providing domestic water for more than 100,000 households.

Vehicles and machinery used to fill soil and block the flow of the Upper Krong Pach Reservoir project.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep said that for phase 2 of the Upper Krong Pach Reservoir Project, the Ministry has approved an investment policy with a total budget of VND 1,120 billion to complete the entire canal system in 2025, ensuring to meet all the initial goals set by the project.

Within the framework of the project's water blocking and storage ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Y Bier Nie said that the Central Highlands is one of the regions where the rate of irrigation water for agricultural land is very low compared to the national average; in Dak Lak province alone, the current irrigation water source only meets 23% of the province's agricultural land area, the lowest in the region. The province identified this as a key project, so it focused on directing strongly, closely coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries and branches to implement the project. On the province's side, a Steering Committee has been established to closely monitor and promptly remove difficulties and obstacles for the project. After more than 10 years of implementation, the project has now blocked the water and is moving towards completion, which is very meaningful for the locality. The Upper Krong Pach Reservoir is one of the three largest irrigation projects in Dak Lak province, contributing greatly to promoting agricultural development, thereby helping to change the lives of people in the project area.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep also affirmed that after completing the Upper Krong Pach Reservoir Project, the lives of people in the project area will certainly develop. Stabilizing water sources for the Central Highlands region in general and the 4 districts benefiting from this project in particular is very important for the issue of water security here. Because, currently, the entire irrigation water source of the Central Highlands region, the active irrigation area of irrigation works only meets 27%, which is very low, while nationwide, the irrigation system meets nearly 60% of the area. In which there are very large irrigation areas such as the Red River Delta, the irrigation system meets over 98% of the active irrigation. The second problem is that the Central Highlands is always a "thirsty" region, this area has very good land, as long as there is a water source, the restructuring of agriculture will certainly be successful. Thus, the upper Krong Pach lake will contribute to ensuring water security and restructuring the agricultural sector of the whole region. When this project is completed, it will be a very important infrastructure for Dak Lak province to combine with other multi-purpose activities such as: Providing domestic water, supplying water for local high-tech industrial zones; developing tourism, regulating the climate. Because this area is planned to have a highway passing through, helping to promote regional economic development.

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