Da Nang: Urgently amending Procedure 1865 to be closer to reality

Inadequacies in reservoir operations during dry season and stormy season

On December 23, 2019, the Prime Minister signed Decision 1865/QD-TTg promulgating the Inter-reservoir Operation Procedure in the Vu Gia - Thu Bon River Basin (Procedure 1865).

Hydroelectric reservoirs subject to the 1865 Process include: A Vuong, Dak Mi 4, Song Tranh 2, Song Bung 4A, Song Bung 2 and a number of small hydroelectric reservoirs.

*The inter-reservoir operation process on the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river basin (Process 1865) revealed shortcomings during the heavy floods at the end of October 2025.*

After 6 years of implementing the 1865 Process, with close direction, management and coordination between the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Quang Nam Province (old) (now the Steering Committee for Civil Defense of Da Nang City) with reservoir owners, localities where factories are located and downstream areas, hydroelectric reservoirs have strictly implemented and contributed to supplying water in the dry season and effectively reducing floods in the rainy and stormy season for downstream areas.

However, currently, climate change is increasingly complex, leading to increasingly extreme and unpredictable natural disasters. The 1865 Process has revealed its limitations and inadequacies.

Mr. Ngo Xuan The, Deputy General Director of A Vuong Hydropower Joint Stock Company, the unit managing and operating A Vuong Hydropower Reservoir, said that compliance with the Inter-reservoir Procedure 1865 is currently stuck in warning bulletins, forecasts and provision of hydrometeorological quantities and inadequate regulations on reservoir operation.

Accordingly, currently, the warning bulletins and forecasts of heavy rain and flood levels in the downstream to serve the operation of reservoirs according to the Inter-reservoir Procedure 1865 during some flood periods are not accurate, affecting the flood reduction operation regime for the downstream, especially the regime of lowering the reservoir water level to the flood receiving water level.

Besides, data from downstream hydrological stations has not been updated continuously every hour during periods of heavy rain and floods; there is no synchronization at flood warning altitudes in downstream areas.

For reservoir operations, during the dry season, Procedure 1865 requires the units to operate continuously for no less than 12 hours/day, with the operating time starting no later than 9:00 a.m. and ending no earlier than 9:00 p.m. Currently, with the development of renewable energy, the National Electricity Dispatch Center must consider mobilizing and reducing resources. Therefore, compliance with the regulation of continuous operation of no less than 12 hours/day is difficult to ensure.

During the rainy season, Procedure 1865 stipulates that the reservoir water level must be lowered when there is a forecast of heavy rain but the flood level in the downstream is low. Meanwhile, when there is heavy rain and water flows into the reservoir, the reservoirs according to Procedure 1865 can only be operated to lower the water level when the Hoi Khach and An Nghia hydrological stations are below the first alarm level, making it difficult to actively regulate water.

*It is urgent to adjust Procedure 1865 to be closer to reality to optimize the role of hydroelectric reservoirs in flood reduction for downstream areas during the rainy and stormy season.*

Urgent need to adjust Procedure 1865 to be closer to reality

To operate reservoirs in the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river basin effectively and optimally reduce floods downstream, Mr. The recommended that specialized agencies improve the quality and accuracy of forecast bulletins for heavy rains and flood levels downstream of the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river basin to serve as a basis for deciding on flood reduction operations downstream, more effectively during each flood season.

In addition, it is necessary to link and communicate monitoring data during storms. Currently, the database website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade : http://thuydienvietnam.vn with rain data has been automatically connected to rain gauge stations in the reservoir basin, monitoring data, hydrological forecasts, and reservoir operating parameters have been linked to get data from the EVN website and have easy and diverse data retrieval forms, very convenient for monitoring, retrieval, and linking. "It is recommended that local agencies, departments, and branches link to get monitoring data, hydrometeorological forecasts, and operating parameters of the A Vuong hydropower reservoir that have been updated hourly after the monitoring time from the database website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for very convenient use, without having to request to provide via Email and update on request to each separate website as at present" , Mr. The proposed.

Regarding Procedure 1865, Mr. Ngo Xuan The proposed to adjust Article 19 to remove the requirement for "continuous" power generation to be suitable and harmonized in the field of security and safety of the power system in the context of renewable energy development as it is now and will continue to develop in the future.

Propose to amend the reservoir operation condition in flood reduction mode for downstream "or" to "and" condition at Point a Clause 2 Article 7 Inter-reservoir Agreement 1865.

The additional operating condition is "When implementing the operating mode of lowering the reservoir water level to the flood water level, it is necessary to base on the warning bulletin or forecast that there is a possibility of flood in the reservoir basin". When the forecast bulletin for the reservoir basin does not predict flood, the mode of lowering the reservoir water level to receive flood is not implemented.

In addition, there are recommendations related to the decision to operate the reservoir to reduce floods downstream; regulations on inspection, repair and maintenance of machinery and construction items according to regulations.

*Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City Tran Nam Hung said that he has proposed to competent authorities to adjust Procedure 1865 to overcome shortcomings and be closer to reality.*

At the recent 4th session of the People's Council of Da Nang City, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City Tran Nam Hung said that the city closely monitored the operation of hydroelectric reservoirs in the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river basin according to Procedure 1865. However, the regulation and reduction of floods for the downstream of hydroelectric reservoirs during the flood in late October 2025 was not very effective due to problems in Procedure 1865, some contents were not suitable to reality. For example, when the reservoir was regulating water downstream to welcome the flood, but when it reached a certain water level, it had to stop; or after the flood, the water level downstream had to be below alert level 1 for the hydroelectric reservoir to continue operating to reduce the water level, while the forecast was that there would be another heavy rain.

The leaders of Da Nang City said they have proposed to the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to coordinate with the Prime Minister to adjust the 1865 Process to be more suitable to reality and give more initiative to local leaders in implementation.

During the heavy floods at the end of October 2025, the 1865 Process revealed many limitations that reduced the flood control efficiency of reservoirs in the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river basin.
The leaders of Da Nang City said they have recommended and proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to advise and propose to the Prime Minister to adjust Procedure 1865 to be more suitable to reality.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/da-nang-cap-thiet-sua-doi-quy-trinh-1865-sat-thuc-tien-430560.html