"Proactively plan to ensure safety of dike and dam systems during storm season"

- What is your overall assessment of the role and current status of the dike, lake and dam system in the province in natural disaster prevention?

+ Currently, the province's dike system is about 397km (33km of level III dikes, 134km of level IV dikes and 230km of level V dikes), the dike system has the task of protecting about 43,600ha of area and about 250,000 people. In the past 30 years, with the attention and investment of the Central Government and the province through upgrading and restoration programs and projects... has fundamentally changed the resilience of the dike system to natural disasters.

If before 2000, Quang Ninh 's dike system was only capable of withstanding level 7 winds combined with a 10% frequency of high tides, now the dike system is capable of withstanding level 9-10 storm winds combined with a 10% frequency of high tides, this is a relatively high level of assurance compared to the whole country. However, as a locality with a terrain feature stretching directly to the sea, often facing sea storms and facing the reality of increasingly unusual and increasing natural disasters, typically storm No. 3 (September 7, 2024), the province's dike system still needs to be further invested in and upgraded.

In the province, there are currently 176 reservoirs of all kinds (22 large reservoirs, 154 medium and small reservoirs) with a total designed capacity of about 360 million ^m3 , responsible for ensuring irrigation for 33,100 hectares of agricultural land, providing water for daily life and industry of about 36 million ^m3 , and aquaculture of about 2,000 hectares. The system of lakes and dams is widely distributed in localities in the province. In recent years, the province's water demand is from 450-500 million ^m3 /year and this demand will increase in the coming time, it is expected that by 2030, the use of about 650 million ^m3 /year will be used and the trend of water for agriculture will gradually decrease and water for daily life, industry and other services will increase and most of the water sources are exploited from reservoirs. Therefore, the dam system plays a very important role in ensuring water security to serve the socio -economic development needs of the province. Currently, large and medium-sized projects are assigned to the Irrigation One Member Limited Liability Company for management and operation, while the remaining small reservoirs are assigned to the District People's Committee for management.

Regarding embankment works in border areas, after review, the length of embankment lines along the entire border is about 88km. In recent years, in addition to completing the installation of border demarcation markers on land, the province has built 18 works to protect river and stream banks in border areas with a total length of 22.3km. Recently, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Provincial Agricultural and Transport Project Management Board to preside over the investment policy for the construction of about 65.7km of embankments to protect river and stream banks in the above localities. It is expected that the policy will be completed in 2025 and implemented in the period of 2026-2030.

Khe Giua Lake project (Duong Huy commune, Cam Pha city).

- The weather often has unusual developments. To ensure the safety of dikes and dams before the upcoming storm season, does the province have any specific solutions, sir?

+ Immediately after the 2024 storm season ended, the Department of Agriculture and Environment organized the implementation of tasks to ensure the safety of works ready to enter the 2025 storm season with synchronous solution groups. The Department coordinated with localities with dykes to review and evaluate the current status of works, propose and have the Provincial People's Committee approve the 2025 dike maintenance and repair plan in the area. Accordingly, 8 level IV dike works were repaired. Currently, the Department is speeding up the implementation progress, striving to put them into operation in June 2025.

Faced with the reality of severe natural disasters such as storm No. 3 in 2024 and the current state of the province's dikes, the Department has proposed and received approval from the Provincial People's Committee to establish a Project to improve the safety of the province's dike system to adapt to climate change, period 2025-2030 with a vision to 2050. In particular, the project's goal is to propose solutions to upgrade the province's dike lines to a level capable of withstanding natural disasters of similar intensity to storm No. 3 combined with high tides.

The Department proposed to the Provincial People's Committee and directed localities to continue implementing the Project to ensure water security in Quang Ninh province until 2025, with a vision to 2030. In particular, in 2025, priority will be given to researching solutions to seal the water supply system of Yen Lap lake project to ensure water quality serving Quang Yen coastal economic zone, Uong Bi city and West Ha Long city; urging to speed up the progress of the C22 reservoir project on Co To island to supplement water sources serving people and tourists.

The Department has directed the Irrigation One Member Limited Liability Companies and localities to review and carry out maintenance and repair of works to be ready for floods in 2025. At the same time, organize inspections and re-evaluate dike and dam works in the area; based on developments and natural disaster situations that have occurred to identify each key area and develop protection plans for each area; review and re-evaluate the quantity and quality of existing PCTT&TKCN materials and equipment to have appropriate and timely supplementary plans.

In addition, the Department organizes the development and approval of the Plan to protect the key dike areas of Ha Nam and Quang Yen Town, with scenarios for natural disaster situations and solutions. Patrolling, guarding, proactively detecting and handling construction incidents and violations are given special attention. The province continues to organize training to improve the capacity of organizations and individuals in the management and protection of construction works; promote propaganda on natural disaster prevention and control, protection of natural disaster prevention works; promote propaganda in many forms, promote the highest efficiency of proactive natural disaster prevention in the community...

Thank you very much!

Nguyen Thanh (Implementation)

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/chu-dong-phuong-an-dam-bao-an-toan-he-thong-de-dieu-ho-dap-mua-mua-bao-3356679.html