The optimal solution has not yet been selected.

Vo Chi Cong High School is temporarily closed due to the risk of landslides. Photo: TT

The project has faced many challenges...

According to Mr. Nguyen Cong Thanh, Deputy Director of the Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board, the Vo Chi Cong High School project was approved by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 2810, dated September 5, 2019. The Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board is the investor, and the Central and Western Highlands Institute of Water Resources Science is the consultant for the project planning.

Initially, the investment project included the construction of the following items: administrative block, laboratory-library block, staff quarters, multi-purpose building, site leveling, retaining walls, fences, internal roads, and auxiliary facilities. The project has been completed and put into use.

However, at the end of 2020, prolonged heavy rains caused a landslide on the hill behind the school, posing a safety risk to the school and the residents living at the foot of the hill. The teachers and students had to relocate to another facility to continue their studies.

Following numerous inspections by provincial leaders and surveys conducted by relevant agencies, the Provincial People's Committee approved the adjustment of the Vo Chi Cong High School project - specifically the addition of an embankment to prevent landslides - in Decision No. 1298, dated June 26, 2023.

Accordingly, additional investment will be made in the following items: positive slope embankment; negative slope embankment; drainage ditch; auxiliary fence and gate; landslide monitoring and early warning system; training and education on landslide disaster prevention and control; compensation, support, and land clearance. The total investment after adjustment and supplementation is over 58.8 billion VND.

By December 2023, the Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board had completed the approval of the design and cost estimate documents. However, at that time, the new Bidding Law had just been enacted but there was no guiding decree, so the contractor could not be selected. The project was once again delayed.

On March 21st and 22nd, 2024, a delegation from the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee, led by Provincial Party Secretary Luong Nguyen Minh Triet, conducted a survey of Vo Chi Cong High School and held a working session with the Tay Giang District Party Committee.

On March 29, 2024, the Provincial Party Committee issued Notice No. 736, and on April 1, 2024, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Letter No. 2202, requesting relevant units to review, assess, and develop optimal plans for landslide prevention embankments, and report to the competent authority for consideration and decision.

Calculate options and implement investments early.

Recently, at a meeting of the Provincial People's Committee to discuss design options and solutions for the implementation of the project to supplement the embankment against landslides, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vinh - the chief designer of the Central and Western Highlands Institute of Water Resources Science (the design consulting unit) - presented an overview of the design solutions and calculations for the stability of the embankment against landslides at Vo Chi Cong High School.

The construction of the retaining wall to prevent landslides behind the school was designed to withstand the most extreme conditions. Photo: TT

According to the approved design documents, the embankment calculations take into account the worst-case scenarios (heavy rainfall of 400mm/24 hours 3-4 days prior, saturated soil, and consideration of a magnitude 7 earthquake).

At the same time, the type of construction project included in the calculation is a Level I disaster prevention project, in order to apply the highest safety factor.

The design consulting unit also reported an additional plan to level and lower the hillside from the peak elevation of +1,215m down to +1,175m, creating approximately 3 hectares of land, with an leveling volume of about 700,000 cubic meters; the total cost of implementation is approximately 120 billion VND, including the cost of leveling, construction of retaining walls, technical infrastructure, and compensation for land clearance.

In addition, the unit proposes reinforcing an embankment section of approximately 70m in length along the road, connecting with the embankment as per the approved design documents, to ensure the safety of the residential area at the foot of the hill. The estimated cost is approximately 6 billion VND.

However, representatives from both the Department of Construction and the Department of Planning and Investment stated that the proposed hill leveling plan and the approved landslide prevention embankment design plan need to be compared to find the most optimal solution.

If the hill leveling option is implemented, investment in landslide prevention embankment will still be required, thus not reducing the scale of the approved design, and at the same time not increasing the level of safety for the area needing protection.

Creating a land reserve after leveling the ground and lowering the elevation will utilize approximately 3 hectares of land, with a building density of about 40% as per regulations, only enough to accommodate 30-40 households.

According to the design consultant's report, the total cost for leveling the hill is 120 billion VND, meaning an investment of approximately 40 billion VND per hectare and 3-4 billion VND per household, which is excessively high. Therefore, representatives from the two departments proposed continuing with the project as approved.

The Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board also believes it is necessary to separate the hill leveling into a separate project for later consideration.

For the time being, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Anh Tuan believes that the project to add embankments to prevent landslides is very urgent and of particular importance in ensuring the safety of lives and the teaching and learning process.

Therefore, the project management board, consulting unit, and relevant departments must seriously and urgently assess the impact and long-term effectiveness of the embankment project.

The Department of Construction, taking the lead, will report to the Provincial People's Committee based on the advantages and disadvantages of the hill leveling option. The Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board will quickly implement the next steps to expedite investment and bring the project into operation.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/ke-chong-sat-lo-truong-thpt-vo-chi-cong-tay-giang-chua-chon-duoc-phuong-an-toi-uu-3134237.html