Checking landslide risk points at Thuong Nhat Hydropower Plant (Nam Dong)

Recently, the Department of Industry and Trade reported the results of the inspection of operation management, electrical safety, and disaster response management at 12 hydropower plants operating in the province in 2023.

At Song Bo Hydropower Plant, inspection results show that there is currently seepage on the left shoulder of the dam. The long and only operating route has difficult terrain, steep slopes, steep cliffs, and a high risk of landslides, landslides, and rolling rocks, causing a very unsafe situation.

The Department of Industry and Trade requires the investor to coordinate with the design consultant to monitor, observe and evaluate, and have a plan to handle the seepage phenomenon on the left shoulder of the dam, ensuring the safety of the dam. Implement a road barrier to limit people's movement when there is rain or flood. In the long term, it is necessary to study solutions to ensure road safety, overcome landslides and separation, and ensure absolute safety for people and motorbikes at the construction site.

Similarly, at Thuong Nhat Hydropower Plant in Nam Dong District (Vietnam Central Hydropower Joint Stock Company), the inspection results show that there is currently lime oozing at some points on the dam body and seepage on the left shoulder of the dam. The Department of Industry and Trade requested the dam owner to continue to coordinate with the consulting unit to monitor, evaluate and monitor to have a treatment plan to ensure dam safety.

Currently, the positive slope of the dam operation road has landslides and rocks falling onto the road and downstream of the spillway. The company needs to clean up, fix it, put up additional safety warning signs, and warn people traveling and producing on this road section. The project has steep hilly terrain, the slope is high, the company must level and repair the operation road, and in the long term, reinforce and pour concrete on the roadbed.

Mr. Le Van Khoa, General Director of Vietnam Central Hydropower Joint Stock Company, said that the company has completed the connection of ICom HF and Camera signals with the Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control. Checking the overflow tunnels and flooded areas within the reservoir and the project, coordinating with local authorities to install additional warning signs to ensure safety for the project and people in the area. Continuing to collect and put into the dump the amount of soil, rocks, and trash after dredging and cleaning to avoid narrowing the flow and silting the discharge channel when there is heavy rain and flooding.

In addition, the Department of Industry and Trade also requested Thuong Lo Hydropower Company Limited, the investor of Thuong Lo Hydropower Plant (Nam Dong District) to continue monitoring the seepage phenomenon at the junction of the left and right banks of the dam, and seepage through the dam body to have timely treatment plans to ensure dam safety.

Fully implement the recommendations of Dong A Construction and Electricity Consulting Joint Stock Company (inspection consultant) in the 2022 dam safety inspection report, including regularly checking for subsidence and subsidence of the entire dam surface, timely detecting and repairing maintenance, approving the construction maintenance process to carry out maintenance inspection and plans for major and minor repairs of construction items, and installing trash barriers in front of the water intake.

In particular, at this hydropower plant, the inspection results show that the terrain of the dam operation road is also the positive slope of the plant with a large slope. The investor must have a plan to level the dam operation road. In the long term, the roadbed must be reinforced and concreted to ensure safe operation of the project and rescue work when situations arise.

The Department of Industry and Trade also requested to review all areas upstream and downstream of the dam, spillway, areas at risk of landslides and flooding, areas within the scope of the project, especially the dam operation road, the cluster of hubs, etc. to have a solution to ensure the safety of factory staff and employees as well as people in the construction area. Organize the construction to upgrade and complete the road to the factory, the dam operation road, ensuring operational safety.

Investors of hydropower plants proposed that the Provincial People's Committee direct the provincial authorities to survey, plan to invest, and install additional mobile information waves to better serve hydrological monitoring, disaster response, construction and the increasing demand of the plant, people in the A Roang and Song Bo hydropower projects and the Binh Dien hydropower reservoir area.
Article and photos: HA NGUYEN