Quang NamLoc Dai Irrigation Reservoir, Que Hiep Commune, Que Son District is behind schedule for more than two years due to lack of backfill, affecting production water supply for two communes.
Loc Dai Irrigation Reservoir started construction in 2018, total investment capital of 291 billion VND. With a capacity of more than 4,2 million m3, the lake is expected to supply water for 500 hectares of agricultural land, improve livelihoods and reduce poverty for people in two communes Que Hiep and Que Thuan, Que Son district. The lake also contributes to preventing flash floods upstream, reducing flooding downstream and densely populated areas.
According to the plan, the work was completed in December 12, but so far, the overflow sluice and a main canal section of more than 2020 m (100 km long canal design). On the construction site, construction machinery that has not been used for a long time has rusted. Currently, only workers and trucks of a quartz stone mining enterprise enter and exit.
Loc Dai Irrigation Reservoir has just built overflow sluice, the remaining items are unfinished. Image: Dac Thanh
Mr. Tran Hai, Que Hiep commune, cultivating 10 sao of field about 500 m from the construction site, said that at the beginning, the construction unit carried machinery and workers in large numbers, but by the end of 2021, it would stop. “The construction is unfinished, so in the past three years, the water canals have often been filled up, eroded, unable to lead to the fields. Every time it is filled, people report to the construction unit, but it takes a few days to fix it," Hai said.
The slow completion of the works also affects the supply of produced water to the people. Previously, at the location where the reservoir was being built, people blocked the stream from bringing water to serve 50 hectares of rice. But in the dry season, spring water is exhausted, so it is not enough to produce summer-autumn rice crop, leading to crop failure. If the project is completed, water will be stored to supply farming during the dry season.
The construction unit's machinery is covered with grass due to long-term non-construction. Image: Dac Thanh
Explaining the delay, Mr. Ho Huy Quynh, Head of Project Management Division 2, Construction Project Management Board of Quang Nam province, said it was due to a lack of backfill land. To build a 672 m long dam requires nearly 800.000 m3 of land, the province has planned three land mines, but when it comes to construction, people do not agree to exploit. The Management Board has asked the province to allow the planning of a new mine, it is expected that in 2024, embankment will be implemented.
The prolonged project was also caused by problems with ground clearance when nearly 70 hectares of forest land had to be recovered and about 1.300 graves relocated. "There are still 6,5 hectares of forest land in the lake bed due to disputes by people, who are suing the court to settle," Quynh said.
Facing the above difficulties, Mr. Ho Quang Buu, Vice Chairman of Quang Nam province extended the project completion time to December 31, 12.
Irrigation lake of nearly 300 billion VND is unfinished. Video: Dac Thanh
