Tri An Lake will be dredged.

Faced with the drying up of Tri An Lake, especially in the semi-submerged area spanning hundreds of hectares, Dong Nai province is considering dredging options to increase its water storage capacity.

The study on dredging options for the semi-submerged area of Tri An Lake was assigned by the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee to the Department of Construction and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on May 19th. The purpose is to increase water storage capacity to serve electricity production, agriculture, and domestic water supply for the downstream area.

In addition, the dredging process is expected to help provide landfill material for transportation infrastructure and construction projects in the province and surrounding areas.

The dredging is expected to focus mainly on the semi-submerged areas along the Định Quán and Vĩnh Cửu districts, two areas that frequently experience drought during the dry season. This will be the first time the Trị An reservoir has been dredged.

Tri Can Lake completely dried up in early May. Photo: Phuoc Tuan — Tri An Lake was completely dry on May 12th. Photo: *Phuoc Tuan*

The Tri An hydroelectric reservoir, covering approximately 32,000 hectares across four districts – Dinh Quan, Thong Nhat, Trang Bom, and Vinh Cuu – has a storage capacity of about 2.7 billion cubic meters of water. Besides generating electricity, the reservoir serves many other functions, including regulating water flow downstream for water treatment plants that supply clean water for domestic and industrial use to nearly 12 million people in Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City.

Recently, the prolonged dry season has caused the lake's water level to drop to its lowest point in 12 years, nearing the dead water level (50 m). The semi-submerged area where the Dong Nai and La Nga rivers flow into the lake has dried up, cracked, and only small streams remain. A vast area of hundreds of hectares resembles a barren plain.

The Tri An Hydroelectric Power Plant was constructed starting in 1984 and inaugurated and put into operation in 1991. It is the largest hydroelectric project in Southern Vietnam, with four generating units and a total designed capacity of 400 MW. Together with the Dong Nai Cultural and Natural Reserve and the Nam Cat Tien National Forest, the Tri An Inland Water Reserve forms the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve.

Phuoc Tuan

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