Ta Trach Reservoir will regulate floods during heavy rains at the end of 2025.

Urgent

According to the Department of Irrigation and Climate Change - Department of Agriculture and Environment, in recent years, especially in 2025, the influence of the strengthening cold air combined with the upper-level easterly wind disturbance and typhoon No. 12 created a prolonged period of continuous rain with very high intensity and frequency, causing a historic flood in Hue city.

The Ta Trach reservoir area experienced record-breaking heavy rainfall, surpassing all previous historical records. According to data recorded by authorities, the total rainfall at Huong Son station reached 2,645mm, and at Khe Tre station reached 2,818mm. Particularly at Bach Ma station, the 24-hour rainfall reached 1,740mm, bringing the total rainfall for the entire period to over 5,500mm. This intense rainfall caused three consecutive floods on the Huong River, resulting in widespread flooding throughout the city.

Given the increasingly extreme rainfall and flooding trends, the Management Board for Investment and Construction of Irrigation Project 5 (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) believes that the operating procedures of the Ta Trach reservoir need to be reviewed and updated to be more appropriate, in order to increase proactive flood control, ensure the safety of the structure, and improve the efficiency of reservoir exploitation.

However, improving the water regulation capacity of Ta Trach Reservoir cannot rely on a single solution alone, but requires a synchronized approach combining structural solutions such as repairing and upgrading spillway structures and adding auxiliary works; and non-structural solutions such as adjusting operating procedures, improving forecasting and warning capabilities, applying digital technology , and perfecting the inter-reservoir coordination mechanism. This comprehensive approach will ensure long-term sustainability, safety, and effectiveness.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Giang, Deputy Director in charge of the Investment and Construction Management Board of Irrigation Project 5, assessed that, given the increasingly unusual and extreme nature of natural disasters, storms, and floods, upgrading the Ta Trach reservoir to improve flood control efficiency for the downstream area of ​​the Huong River, in order to adapt to the unusual natural disaster situation caused by climate change, limit flooding, and reduce damage to the city, is very urgent. This is also in accordance with the conclusion of General Secretary To Lam in Notice No. 413-TB/VPTW dated November 12, 2025, on investing in strategic, long-term projects to contribute to improving disaster response capacity. At the same time, it aims to promptly adjust the standards and classification of the Ta Trach reservoir to conform to the latest national technical standard (QCVN 04-05:2022/BNNPTNT, replacing the old standard from 2012).

Ensuring dual objectives

Recently, the Management Board for Investment and Construction of Irrigation Project 5 submitted Proposal No. 113/TTr - BAN5 - TĐ to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment regarding the assignment of tasks for preparing investment in upgrading and ensuring safe operation of the Ta Trach reservoir in the period 2026 - 2030. The proposal also clearly stated the current situation of the Ta Trach reservoir project, highlighting shortcomings and difficulties that affect the effectiveness of flood control and regulation in the Huong River basin.

Specifically, the Ta Trach spillway is a gate-operated spillway with a crest of +37m and a gate crest of +47m. Initially, the gate was opened and closed using a winch, but this was later adjusted using a hydraulic cylinder. Currently, the hydraulic cylinder only allows the gate to fully open and close, without the option to open, close, or stop at the required aperture, making flood control with the calculated flow rate impossible...

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Giang informed that, based on research into investment options for upgrading Ta Trach reservoir, including upgrading and repairing the existing spillway, adding a backup spillway and auxiliary works with a total estimated investment of over 1,000 billion VND, the Management Board for Investment and Construction of Irrigation Project 5 will submit to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Planning and Finance Department for consideration the policy to prepare for investment in the project to upgrade and ensure safe operation of Ta Trach reservoir in the period 2026 - 2030, aiming to achieve effective flood reduction for the downstream area of ​​Huong River and adapt to unusual natural disasters due to climate change, limiting flooding in the city.

At a meeting with departments and agencies to hear reports on the plan to increase the water storage capacity of Ta Trach Reservoir, held in early April 2026, Standing Committee member of the City Party Committee and Permanent Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Hoang Hai Minh emphasized that the study on increasing the water storage capacity of Ta Trach Reservoir must be comprehensively considered, ensuring a balance between the goal of water storage to serve socio-economic development and the safety requirements of the structure and the downstream area. He also requested that the units continue to review, assess, and carefully calculate the safety factors of the dam. In addition, it is necessary to supplement research on emergency situations, develop detailed flood maps, and apply modern technology in reservoir management and operation to improve the efficiency of regulation and ensure the long-term safety of the structure.

Also at the aforementioned meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep requested that the research plan to improve the regulation capacity and water storage level of Ta Trach reservoir must adhere to the goal of flood reduction and ensure the safety of the structure. Furthermore, it is necessary to review and repair the sluice gate system to ensure flexible operation; and continue researching the option of constructing an emergency spillway in a suitable location, minimizing land acquisition, with the goal of "safety, convenient operation, and contributing to flood reduction for the Huong River".

Text and photos: Nguyen Khanh

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/xay-dung-giao-thong/nang-cao-nang-luc-ho-chua-nuoc-ta-trach-166276.html