Efforts to restore the irrigation system in eastern Dak Lak.

And to contribute to bountiful harvests, the Dong Cam dam irrigation system has provided water for two rice crops each year. However, the recent historic flood caused severe damage to many canals and irrigation works that need to be restored to stabilize production as soon as possible.

Specialized heavy machinery has been mobilized to excavate and fill landslide areas on the southern and northern canals within the Dong Cam irrigation system.

Traveling along National Highways 25 and 29 in mid-December 2025, reporters from the People's Police Newspaper observed horrific landslides along the two main canals in the North and South of the Dong Cam irrigation system. Many sections of the canals had their banks broken by floods, leaving jagged gaps. Hundreds of rice fields along the canals were filled with sand and silt, forming mounds, and many sections of concrete retaining walls were also destroyed.

According to leaders of the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee, out of the total property damage of 9,474 billion VND caused by the historic floods in the province, the irrigation system serving agricultural production alone suffered 1,152 billion VND in damage. This includes over 354km of canals, 15km of river and stream embankments, and approximately 3km of the main canal of the Dong Cam dam, along with many other key infrastructure projects that suffered serious erosion and damage.

Speaking with a reporter from the CAND newspaper on the morning of December 12th, Mr. Nguyen Minh Hue, Chairman of Dong Cam Irrigation Company Limited, said that the Dong Cam irrigation system has two main canals providing irrigation water to the Tuy Hoa delta, with the southern canal being nearly 37km long and the northern canal 33.5km long.

In addition to dozens of landslides and siltation points along these two canals, flood damage also occurred at many irrigation stations, electric pumping stations serving agricultural production, and the Tam Giang dam downstream of the Ky Lo River in the area bordering Tuy An Bac and Tuy An Dong communes, with a length of approximately 140m; of which 50m of the middle section of the dam body was completely swept away by the flood, and the right bank of the dam also suffered serious landslides and damage both upstream and downstream, as well as the water intake culvert.

After conducting field surveys and measuring the volume of excavation, embankment, and construction at landslide, siltation, and damage sites, Dong Cam Irrigation Company Limited has established a total estimated investment cost of over 246 billion VND to address the consequences of flooding at irrigation works in eastern Dak Lak .

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Huan, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment (NN&MT) of Dak Lak province, after conducting on-site inspections and assessing the damage to the canal system and irrigation works caused by floods, the department has determined that the remediation of the canal system will involve dredging to clear the waterways, excavating and filling in landslide areas, and reinforcing with concrete. For the Tam Giang dam, investment will be made in constructing a retaining wall and repairing the downstream water intake sluice.

To ensure timely water supply for agricultural production during the 2025-2026 Winter-Spring crop season, on December 8th, Mr. Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Lak province, issued a document agreeing to repair 48 irrigation and drainage system structures affected by floods and heavy rains, as requested by the Department of Agriculture and Environment; and simultaneously assigned the relevant units and localities directly managing the structures to be the investors in carrying out the repairs.

Specifically, the Tam Giang Dam project is assigned to the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects in the Eastern Dak Lak region as the investor for repair and restoration. The Department of Finance, in coordination with other departments, agencies, and localities, will urgently advise the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee on balancing and allocating funds to ensure that the funding is in accordance with the actual situation and the procedures stipulated by law, so that the investors can promptly carry out the work.

In recent days, dozens of specialized excavators have been mobilized to the landslide sites in Son Thanh, Tay Hoa, Phu Hoa 1 communes, Phu Yen ward, and Dong Hoa ward to carry out technical operations to rebuild the canal banks that were swept away by the floods. Along National Highways 25 and 29, bordering the two canals, trucks are urgently transporting sand, stone, and cement to supply the construction teams for reinforcing the canal banks with concrete.

“With the close guidance and attention of the People's Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak Lak province, all resources have been mobilized to the maximum extent, striving to overcome landslides and damage to the canal system and irrigation works, ensuring the construction progress is completed before December 31st to promptly serve the 2025-2026 Winter-Spring crop production,” added Mr. Nguyen Minh Hue, Chairman of Dong Cam Irrigation Company Limited.

The Dong Cam Dam, located on the Ba River in eastern Dak Lak, is one of the major irrigation projects in the South Central region. It was designed in 1917 by a French engineer named Lefevre and his colleague, engineer Nordey. Construction began in 1924 and was completed in 1932. Besides the 688-meter-long dam connecting Tru Cat Mountain in Phu Hoa 1 commune on the north bank with Qui Hau Mountain in Son Thanh commune on the south bank, the Dong Cam irrigation system also includes two main canals in the north and south, totaling over 70km in length, along with more than 200km of secondary canals and hundreds of related structures, ensuring irrigation water for over 18,000 hectares of agricultural land in the Tuy Hoa delta.
Throughout the construction process, the Dong Cam dam project excavated over 2 million cubic meters of earth, demolished over 360,000 cubic meters of rock, and constructed over 20,000 cubic meters of concrete, 20,000 cubic meters of rubble, and hundreds of tons of steel. On average, there were about 1,200 workers on the construction site each day, reaching nearly 5,000 at peak times.
Nearly 100 years ago, on September 1, 1929 – while the Dong Cam dam was under construction – heavy rains from the upstream of the Ba River capsized a boat carrying laborers, resulting in the deaths of 52 people. The names of the victims of this boat accident and two other workers who died while building the dam are inscribed on a memorial stele at the temple on Tru Cuc Mountain.
Besides its economic benefits, the Dong Cam Dam also possesses historical and cultural value, along with picturesque natural scenery. In September 2022, this project was classified as a National Scenic Monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. To express gratitude and commemorate the contributions of tens of thousands of people who built this irrigation project, on the 8th day of the Lunar New Year each year, the Dong Cam Irrigation Company Limited organizes the "Dong Cam Dam Festival," attracting a large number of tourists and local people.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/doi-song/no-luc-khoi-phuc-he-thong-thuy-nong-phia-dong-dak-lak-i790949/