In Dong Nai, water levels at the Tri An hydroelectric dam have dropped to their lowest point in 12 years, nearing the dead water level, leaving the reservoir bed exposed and allowing people to walk across it.
On May 13th, Mr. Vo Tan Nhan, Director of Tri An Hydropower Company, stated that the water level in Tri An reservoir during this year's dry season has dropped significantly, at times reaching 50.5 meters. This is close to the reservoir's dead water level (50 meters).
According to Mr. Nhan, this water level is the lowest in the past 12 years, only slightly higher than in 2009 (49.99 m). Despite the low water level, thanks to the inter-reservoir hydropower operation mechanism on the Dong Nai River, the company is still operating 4 turbines. In recent days, due to heavy rains, the water level in the reservoir has risen again to 51 m.
"The average water inflow into the reservoir last week was 200 m3/s, so there is no longer any concern about water shortages for domestic use and production downstream, and the risk of power outages has also decreased," Mr. Nhan said.
The fisherman's boat was left abandoned in the middle of the dry, cracked lakebed, damaged by the drought. Photo: Phuoc Tuan
According to the leaders of Tri An Hydropower Company, besides serving electricity production, the reservoir has many other functions. These include 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 and Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, water management is crucial, with the goal of preventing water shortages.
Tri An Lake, covering 32,000 hectares, used to be a vast expanse of water. However, at this time, many sections of the upstream section of the Dong Nai and La Nga rivers flowing into the lake have dried up. Traditional fishing ports used by fishermen to reach the edge of the Dong Nai River require them to travel more than 10 kilometers by motorbike across the middle of the lake. The lakebed is cracked, fish are dying, and fishermen's nets and boats have been abandoned.
According to locals, during the dry season, the low water level of Tri An Lake reveals a road connecting the islands to the residential area without the need for boats. During the rainy season, the road is flooded, with water rising to the embankment. "Every year the water level rises and falls according to the electricity production cycle, but this year the water level is much lower, the lake is drier, and people have to go further out to sea to fish," said Toan, a fisherman from Phu Ly commune, Vinh Cuu district.
The trail through the middle of the lake during the dry season. Photo: Phuoc Tuan.
With the water level dropping significantly, many people are taking advantage of the situation to encroach upon and occupy the semi-submerged areas of the reservoir, especially in communes bordering the forest such as Ma Da and Phu Ly in Vinh Cuu district. According to Mr. Nhan, due to the large size of the reservoir and the semi-submerged areas bordering many areas deep within the forest, management is very difficult. The company, along with the local authorities, has repeatedly inspected and dealt with these encroachment cases to ensure the security and safety of the reservoir.
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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