Heavy rains and floods caused landslides, silting and severe damage to the Dong Cam irrigation system.

The irrigation canal system in the east of Dak Lak was severely damaged by floods.

The heavy rains that have lasted for the past few days combined with the release of floodwaters from hydropower plants have caused severe damage to the irrigation canal system in the East of Dak Lak. The head dam area and many canal sections of the Dong Cam irrigation system have been eroded, silted up, and severely damaged, creating great pressure ahead of the approaching winter-spring crop.

According to a report by Dong Cam Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd., heavy rain and floods have caused serious damage to the construction system, especially in the canals of the Dong Cam system - where the Ba River water rose rapidly, overflowing and causing canal breaks, silting up and landslides in many locations.

Although the reservoirs managed by the unit are still operating safely, the canal system has been severely damaged.

The main dam of the North canal of the Dong Cam irrigation system was severely eroded due to heavy rain and floods.

The preliminary assessment results as of November 22 show that the amount of damage that needs to be repaired is up to 26,000 m³ of excavated soil, 60,000 m³ of filled soil, 3,200 m³ of various types of concrete, with an initial total estimated cost of about 45 billion VND. Currently, many sections of the canal are still deeply flooded, and the access roads are cut off, making it difficult to inspect and count the damage.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhanh, Deputy Director of Dong Cam Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd., said: “The damage this time is very serious, occurring simultaneously over a large area. The company is mobilizing maximum human resources to both monitor the development of the flood, review and assess the extent of damage, and prepare forces to repair it.”

A section of the South main canal at location K19+045 of the Dong Cam irrigation system (opposite the old Hoa Phong Commune People's Committee) was eroded, breaking one side of the canal bank.

According to Mr. Nhanh, the biggest pressure now is time. Because in less than a month, the Winter-Spring crop will begin, while the unit must ensure irrigation water for more than 19,000 hectares of agricultural production area in the eastern part of the province, of which the Dong Cam system alone is nearly 15,000 hectares. If the damaged canals are not urgently handled, the risk of water shortage at the beginning of the crop is very high.

In Phong Hau village, Phu Hoa 1 commune, where many rice and crop areas depend on water from the Dong Cam system, people are restless. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chien, a resident in this area, expressed his concern: "Seeing the canals eroded and filled in many sections, we are very worried. The Winter-Spring crop is the main crop, if the water does not come in time, production activities will be affected. I hope the authorities will soon fix the problem."

Mr. Chien’s concern is also the common sentiment of many farmers in this area. Because the Dong Cam system is considered the “lifeblood” of tens of thousands of hectares of rice, sugarcane, and other crops. Once the canals are damaged, the entire large production area will be affected.

The canal section through Phu Sen Tay village (Phu Hoa 1 commune) was eroded and filled up.

Faced with the above damages, Dong Cam Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. proposed that the Provincial People's Committee direct the inspection and assessment of the damage situation and have timely solutions, because most of the damaged canals require large mechanical vehicles, and the amount of soil and rock that must be handled is huge.

“The company recommends that the Provincial People's Committee issue a special mechanism, allowing design and construction units to coordinate and accompany the company right from the inspection stage, planning to timely implementation of solutions, ensuring water supply for people according to the first winter-spring rice sowing schedule from December 20, 2025 to January 10, 2026,” Mr. Nhanh said.

According to Mr. Nhanh, up to this point, although there are still many isolated points, the unit is still actively coordinating with local authorities and the agricultural sector to unify response plans. Closely monitoring floods and implementing reservoir operations according to procedures are also being prioritized to ensure the safety of the project and downstream areas.

Viet An

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202511/mua-lu-khien-he-thong-thuy-nong-dong-cam-bi-sat-lo-boi-lap-hu-hong-nang-ac71db6/