Criminal liability may be prosecuted if hydropower plants discharge floodwaters in violation of regulations, causing serious damage.

The recent floods caused landslides and deep flooding in many mountainous and downstream areas of Da Nang, causing a lot of damage. At the special meeting of the 10th Da Nang People's Council, term 2021 - 2026 on November 11, many delegates gave their assessment of the work of preventing, responding to and overcoming the consequences of floods and pointed out some shortcomings that need to be learned from to cope with the increasingly extreme storms and floods.

Need for transparent forecasting and improving disaster response capacity
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Hao, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dai Loc commune, said: The recent heavy rains caused the water level of Vu Gia - Thu Bon river to rise, at times exceeding the alarm level 3 by nearly 1.8m, approaching the historical flood peak of 2009, causing many downstream areas to be isolated. Mr. Hao said that, in addition to the timely intervention of the government, voters expressed concerns about the reservoir operation process of hydropower plants and the accuracy of water level forecasts during floods.

Mr. Nguyen Hao, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dai Loc commune, expressed that one of the major "bottlenecks" mentioned is the lack of small rescue vehicles on site.

According to Mr. Hao, there were times when the flood peak information was lower than the actual flood peak, so "we were unable to react in time". Mr. Hao also suggested that the City People's Committee recommend the Central Government and relevant agencies to review and lower the reservoir water level to the lowest flood level before heavy rains to increase flood prevention capacity and reduce discharge downstream.

One of the major “bottlenecks” mentioned is the lack of small rescue vehicles on the spot. According to Mr. Hao, large canoes from the city can only operate on the river, while many deeply flooded residential areas are located in narrow alleys, entangled with electric wires and fences. “Effective rescue and relief must start from the village and hamlet. It is necessary to add small boats and small mobile canoes, placed in key residential areas, and train local forces to use them proficiently, ready to respond when the water rises quickly,” Mr. Hao emphasized.

Delegates said that "Effective rescue must start from the village and group".

This delegate also noted that communication work in times of emergency needs to be accurate and timely, avoiding spreading false rumors such as "people being abandoned, lack of relief" on the internet, causing public confusion.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Bhling Mia, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Tay Giang commune, said that the entire political system in the mountainous area has taken drastic measures to minimize human losses. However, he also pointed out the fact that some small hydropower plants, especially those under 100 MW, do not have spillways, so when the flood comes, they are forced to open all the spillways, causing severe flooding downstream. Delegates recommended reviewing and adjusting the inter-reservoir operation process, adding mandatory requirements on bottom spillways and early regulation when forecasting prolonged heavy rains.

Besides the timely intervention of the government, voters expressed concerns about the reservoir operation process of hydroelectric plants and the accuracy of water level forecasts during floods.

Mr. Bhling Mia also reflected that after the flood, the mountainous infrastructure was severely damaged. Rural roads were damaged, drainage systems were degraded, and domestic water pipes were buried by rocks and soil. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a working group of city leaders to work directly with mountainous localities, direct the review, planning, and at the same time urgently evacuate residents in areas at high risk of landslides, to ensure the safety of people's lives and property in the upcoming rainy and stormy season. The city also assigned working groups to closely follow the locality, with a specific mechanism to quickly handle landslides, long-term isolated areas, and promptly evacuate households living in dangerous areas...

Criminal proceedings may be taken if the hydroelectric reservoir operating procedures are not followed, resulting in damage.

According to Mr. Tran Nam Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City, he highly appreciated the proactive spirit of localities and forces in responding to floods in recent times. According to Mr. Hung, regarding hydropower operations, the city has directly inspected and confirmed that units have complied with the Inter-reservoir Operation Procedures on the Vu Gia - Thu Bon River Basin. However, the regulation efficiency during the recent flood was not high because some points in Regulation 1865 were not suitable for practice. The city has worked and proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to consider submitting to the Prime Minister to adjust the operation procedure to suit practice and increase the initiative for localities...

Mr. Tran Nam Hung, Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People's Committee participated in the discussion at the meeting.

The Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City emphasized that the water discharge must strictly comply with Regulation 1865. If hydroelectric reservoirs violate the regulations, causing more flooding and more damage to people, they can be prosecuted. Regarding long-term solutions, Mr. Hung proposed to strengthen equipment to prevent landslides, build resettlement areas in landslide areas, and storm and flood shelters. The city also plans to ask the Central Government for about 2,000 billion VND to build resettlement areas for people in landslide and high-risk areas...

Da Nang plans to ask the Central Government for about 2,000 billion VND to build resettlement areas for people in landslide and high-risk areas.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Dung, Chairman of the People's Council of Da Nang City, acknowledged the opinions of the delegates and requested the City People's Committee to absorb and concretize them into practical action programs, ensuring that each flood that passes is a lesson learned, a step forward in the city's disaster response capacity.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/co-the-truy-cuu-trach-nhiem-hinh-su-neu-thuy-dien-xa-lu-trai-quy-dinh-gay-thiet-hai-nghiem-trong--i787722/