Many dams in Duc Dong are degraded and unsafe.

Am Dam in Son Thanh village, Duc Dong commune was built in 1999 with an earthen structure, serving to store water for production and daily life in Son Thanh, Hong Hoa and Dong Vinh villages.

After more than 26 years of operation, especially after the recent storms No. 5, 6 and 10, the project has now seriously degraded, posing many potential safety risks to people living downstream. The dam body is showing many signs of damage such as sagging and subsidence.

In particular, water leakage through the earthen dam body is increasingly evident, worse during heavy rains.

The water control gate system has been damaged and is no longer able to operate stably during the dry season or the rainy season. Meanwhile, the water level in the reservoir is about 20m higher than the production area below, causing increased pressure on the dam body, especially during the unusual rainy and stormy season.

“Currently, there are nearly 100 households living at the foot of Am dam, while the dam body has appeared to leak and subside, so people are always in a state of insecurity every time there is a storm. The dam body is sagging, the water regulation system is completely damaged, just a prolonged heavy rain makes us very worried. In particular, if the rainfall exceeds 500 mm, there is a risk of a dam break," said Mr. Nguyen Thai Hoc - Director of Vinh Thanh Cooperative.

Am Dam has a water surface area of about 17 hectares, currently providing irrigation water and domestic water for nearly 700 households in the area. Vinh Thanh Agricultural Service Cooperative alone has 500 households with about 200 hectares of production land completely dependent on this water source. Therefore, any incident occurring to the dam can cause great damage to agricultural production and people's lives.

Faced with the serious degradation and high risk of insecurity, Vinh Thanh Agricultural Service Cooperative requested all levels and sectors to support the early upgrading and reinforcement of Am Dam. Specifically, it is recommended to pour waterproof concrete roof, reinforce the dam body, thoroughly handle leaks, and repair the water regulation system to ensure stable operation and protect the safety of people and production areas during the rainy season.

Degradation is also present at Quan Dam, located in Tan Quang 2 village, Duc Dong commune. This is a project with a scale of more than 17,745 m³, playing a particularly important role in providing irrigation water for about 60 hectares of agricultural land, and at the same time providing the main water source for two large dams below, Da Trang Dam (Tan Thanh village) and Ba Dam (Thanh Son village). In addition, Quan Dam is also the common water source for Tan Nhan, Tan Loc, Tan Quang and Tan Thanh villages.

However, after many years of exploitation (built around 1983) and the impact of the weather, Quan Dam is now in a state of severe degradation. The dam body has been eroded with a length of about 273m, a width of 3.5m and a depth of 0.8m. The main spillway with a length of 37m, a width of 3.5m, and a height of 5m built of stone has also been seriously eroded, reducing the ability to drain floods and posing a potential safety risk.

Mr. Duong Ngoc Dai - Director of Tan Huong Agricultural Service Cooperative recommends that all levels and sectors pay attention to investing in restoring and repairing Quan dam, thoroughly handling the erosion situation at the dam body and spillway to ensure safe management and operation during the rainy and stormy season. Quan dam is the main water source for many villages and large dams below. If not repaired promptly, the risk of insecurity during the rainy and stormy season is very high.

In addition, the internal traffic route leading to the dam has been eroded and damaged for about 350m, causing difficulties in management, operation and inspection of the project. The deterioration of the project increases the risk of insecurity, especially when storms occur. With the role of a dam to hold and regulate water for the entire system below, if the Quan dam breaks, about 50 hectares of rice fields and fertile soil will be washed away, and at the same time damage the important traffic route National Highway 281 passing through the area.

The locality has been very aware of the deterioration of the lakes and dams in the area, especially the Am and Quan dams. The commune has conducted inspections, made reports and repeatedly made recommendations to the provincial departments and branches to request investment support for repairs, because the current level of damage has exceeded the capacity and resources of the locality. We hope that the authorities will soon consider allocating funds to promptly upgrade and repair, helping people feel secure in production and stabilize their lives, especially during the rainy and stormy season.
Mr. Le Van Hiep - Chairman of Duc Dong Commune People's Committee

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nhieu-ho-dap-o-duc-dong-xuong-cap-khong-dam-bao-an-toan-post299797.html