The arduous task of finding land to build the Loc Dai reservoir.

Construction on the irrigation canal section of the Loc Dai Lake project will continue until completion. Photo: TRINH DUNG

A lot of capital is provided, but little is used.

The investment plan for the Loc Dai reservoir project from 2018 to 2020 could not be completed. This is a project that has been delayed for nearly 7 years and still hasn't reached completion.

Mr. Tran Xuan Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, once complained that it is unacceptable that despite having the same mechanisms and policies, and a large amount of capital allocated to projects, disbursement is weak, or there is a lack of land, contractors lack experience, or the procedures and processes for granting mining permits are too numerous and complicated... and yet no lessons are learned.

The Quang Nam Inspectorate has published a report (No. 235/BC-TTT dated October 25, 2024) on the results of a survey and inspection of the project's implementation. According to the report, the total land area to be acquired for the project is 66.91 hectares. The headworks (spillway and flood discharge) have been 100% handed over to the investor (24.84 hectares), the reservoir has been handed over at 28.5/34.98 hectares, and the irrigation canals have been handed over at 5.05/7.09 hectares.

The central government allocated 100% of the required funds (VND 160.6 billion), but only VND 124.1 billion was disbursed. The remaining VND 36.5 billion was recovered by the State Audit Office, with VND 14.9 billion returned to the state budget and VND 21.6 billion returned to the central budget as part of the extended 2020 capital plan due to the project's suspension. The provincial budget has disbursed 62.9/67.9 billion VND of the allocated funds to date.

According to the construction bidding documents, the selected consortium of contractors was Construction and Irrigation Company No. 1, Phu Hoa Construction Company, and Toan Thinh Construction and Engineering Company (now Nhan An Trading and Manufacturing Company Limited), with the project commencing on July 1, 2019.

The construction schedule for the earth dam was 14 months (from August 2019 to September 2020). However, the project was delayed by 4-5 months compared to the committed date (November 15, 2019) and construction has been suspended from the end of 2022 until now.

It is noteworthy that despite the large total allocated capital, the total value of completed construction work to date is only about 58.9/185.95 billion VND. This represents only about 31.6% of the contract value for the completion of the spillway, post-spill discharge channel, bridges over the channel, water intake culverts, power supply, and 50/5.3 km of the main channel, 3 culverts across the road, and 3 pillars of aqueduct bridge No. 2.

Regarding the main dam, which is being constructed primarily using earth fill (approximately 630,000 ^m³ ), only the organic soil excavation, foundation excavation, and filter layer construction (23.32% of the project) have been completed so far.

Construction needs to continue.

According to statistics, the total value of project acceptance was only nearly 58.7 billion VND, but the total payment to the contractor (including advances) was nearly 125 billion VND.

The investor is currently inviting consultants to thoroughly assess the reserves and physical and mechanical quality of the two mines planned for exploitation to obtain soil for dam construction, thus completing the project. Photo: TRINH DUNG

The outstanding advance payments for the construction contract currently amount to approximately 69.3 billion VND for the three members of the contractor consortium. The project has been stalled for over two years, but no one has yet calculated whether these advance payments can be recovered.

According to the Provincial Inspectorate's assessment, the project has complex technical characteristics. The investor lacked experience in managing irrigation projects, assigning only one civil engineer to oversee the project. The absence of specialized personnel in irrigation construction resulted in project management and quality control not adhering to regulations.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Quang Buu said the project is currently under investigation and the results will be announced soon. However, public opinion is most concerned about whether the project can be easily resumed so that people have water for irrigation and that hundreds of billions of dong of budget capital invested must yield results and not be wasted.

The investor asserted that if they secured the quarry, the project would certainly be completed on schedule, despite the extended deadline. However, according to the Quang Nam Inspectorate, the Nong Trok quarry (Que Hiep), which was scheduled to be put into operation for dam construction according to the investor's report in July 2024, could not be implemented. And will the Ho Thac quarry (Que Long), scheduled to be put into operation for dam construction from July 2025, actually materialize?

Notably, through document review, on-site inspections, and reports from relevant units, it has been revealed that the project still faces numerous difficulties, obstacles, and errors. The delays in project implementation stem from personnel issues, land clearance, project management, planning, and permits for excavating earth for dam construction, among other problems.

The important thing is to find a source of earth for dam construction, but will it be of sufficient quality for the construction of irrigation works? According to the Quang Nam Inspectorate, the earth at the Nong Trok and Ho Thac quarries has not yet been surveyed and assessed by the design consulting unit to meet the conditions for dam construction. This has led to the inability to develop a dam cross-section design plan, as well as the inability to apply for mining permits for these two quarries.

Unable to complete the project within the extended deadline (until December 2025), the Provincial Inspectorate recommended that the Provincial People's Committee agree to extend the project completion deadline until the end of December 2026.

The specific requirements are that by July 2025, all procedures regarding earth mines and excavation for dam construction must be completed, the revised dam design plan must be approved, land clearance must be completed, and a re-inspection of the completed project components must be conducted before resuming construction.

The main dam of the reservoir must be completed by the end of September 2026, and the entire project must be completed, inspected, and put into operation by the end of December 2026.

Mr. Tran Duy Phuc, Deputy Director of the Provincial Investment and Construction Project Management Board (the investor), said that for irrigation projects, the soil's physical and mechanical properties are very difficult to determine, requiring low permeability. A preliminary assessment indicates that the quality and reserves of the two mines are sufficient for dam construction.

Regarding whether the design consulting unit confirms that the dam meets the necessary physical and mechanical properties, the investor is awaiting the Provincial People's Committee's approval to add a geological survey package to the project. This will allow them to select a consultant to conduct the survey and assessment and provide an official opinion. Once the land is available, construction of the dam body will resume immediately, ensuring the project's investment schedule is met.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/gian-nan-tim-dat-dap-ho-loc-dai-3153401.html