Many people's crop areas were lost due to the hydroelectric dam collapse.

Photo caption — The scene of the Ia Glae 2 hydropower dam collapse in Chu Prong district, Gia Lai province. Photo: VNA

Due to the impact of storm No. 4 , in recent days, the Central Highlands has had heavy to very heavy rains causing localized flooding in some localities. In Chu Prong district, floods have washed away many hectares of crops. In particular, the Ia Glae 2 hydropower project under construction on Ia Glae stream, in the two communes of Ia Ga and Ia Ve (Chu Prong district), had its main dam broken. This is a serious incident, causing great damage to the environment as well as people's crops.

From the night of October 8 to the early morning of October 9, heavy rain caused a sudden influx of water and high flow rate, almost completely breaking the nearly 100m long, 4m high dam of Ia Glae 2 Hydropower Plant. This is a level III hydropower project, with a designed capacity of 12MW and an investment capital of over 423 billion VND. The project is built on an area of 83.7 hectares.

At the foot of the hydroelectric dam, where the incident occurred, floodwaters flattened the dam body and swept away dozens of hectares of crops, industrial trees, and food crops of people living on both sides of the stream. The main crops damaged were coffee, pepper, cashew, banana, coconut, etc. Floodwaters broke part of the second spillway of this project.

Mr. Dang Van Dau (residing in Tan Thuy village, Ia Ga commune, Chu Prong district) said that in previous years, before this hydroelectric dam was built, flood water rose normally, but since the hydroelectric dam was built, the flood water flowed in at a larger volume, causing the dam body to break and completely washing away nearly 2.5 hectares of crops and long-term industrial trees of his family.

Sharing the same frustration, Mr. Dao Van Ha, also residing in Ia Ga commune, said: The floodwater from upstream overflowed and met the Ia Glae 2 hydroelectric dam, accumulated, creating great pressure, causing the dam to break, then "sweeping" all the crops and trees. As for his family, the entire area of dổi trees, sophora flowers, and durian that were in harvest were all lost. Looking at the area of trees that he had cared for for many years now gone, he was both sad and angry.

In addition, the dam collapse also polluted the people's domestic and irrigation water sources. According to preliminary statistics from the Ia Ga Commune People's Committee, 19 households were directly affected, with an area of up to tens of hectares, most of which are long-term crops with economic value.

Many people said that this was a serious incident, although there were no human casualties, it caused great damage to people's property. However, when the incident occurred, the People's Committee of Chu Prong district did not promptly report it to the higher authorities.

Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Chu Prong District, Nguyen Van Luyen, said: The cause of the incident was not due to the dam breaking, the breaking of the retaining wall only contributed to increasing the level of damage. The local government is coordinating with Khai Hoang Hydropower Joint Stock Company to inspect and make a declaration of affected households.

Before each rainy and stormy season, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee regularly issues documents directing relevant sectors to inspect, monitor and ensure the safety of hydroelectric and irrigation works in the whole province. In particular, the Provincial People's Committee requires project owners and local authorities to strengthen preventive measures and respond to possible incidents.

The Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee approved the investment policy for the Ia Glae 2 Hydropower Plant for Khai Hoang Hydropower Joint Stock Company (headquartered in Pleiku city, Gia Lai province) in February 2020. This project entered the construction phase from the second quarter of 2020 and is expected to be completed and put into use in the fourth quarter of 2021. However, to date, this project has not been completed.

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