Army removes stuck rafts and cages, preventing the risk of An Trach dam breaking

On June 13, local authorities coordinated with the Military Command of Hoa Vang District (Da Nang City Military Command) to urgently handle the incident and remove the fish raft entangled in the An Trach dam to avoid the risk of dam failure.

An Trach Dam is in an alarming state because floating cages and rafts are stuck and obstructing the flow. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

At An Trach dam in An Trach village (Hoa Tien commune, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city), people discovered a large fish cage swept away by floodwaters and stuck in the dam's gates.

People discovered a large fish cage. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

As the owner of the raft, Mr. Dang Ngoc Phi Long (born in 1988, residing in Dai Hiep commune, Dai Loc district, Quang Nam province) said that the raft includes 30 fish cages and 6 frog cages, anchored on Yen river, through Dai Hiep commune.

At around 4 p.m. on June 12, due to heavy rain and the hydroelectric plant releasing floodwaters, the Yen River rose and flowed rapidly, causing the anchor rope to break. The entire raft cage system was swept downstream and got stuck at the An Trach dam.

“We saw the cages drifting but were completely helpless because the water flow was too strong,” Long shared.

A fish raft was swept away by floodwaters and stuck at the foot of An Trach dam. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Due to the strong water flow, the cages blocked about half of the dam surface, covering 6 water discharge chambers with a length of up to 35m, seriously obstructing the flow and increasing the risk of affecting the dam structure.

Billions of dong worth of people's assets were lost in the flood. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Meanwhile, the water level measured at the dam has now reached 5m, exceeding the safety level, posing a potential risk of dam failure and causing serious flooding downstream.

Faced with the emergency, the Da Nang City Military Command mobilized nearly 180 officers, soldiers and militia to participate in troubleshooting, dismantling and moving stuck cages and rafts to clear the flow, reduce dam pressure and ensure safety for people downstream.

Nearly 180 officers and soldiers of the regular army and militia participated in troubleshooting and risk prevention.

Forces urgently dismantled, salvaged and relocated stranded cages.

Response work was carried out seriously and in accordance with procedures. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Support forces brought the remaining assets of the people to shore. Because the Yen River was still large and flowing rapidly, the dismantling had to be done manually, piece by piece, using a steel welding and cutting machine, which was very heavy and dangerous.

By the afternoon of June 13, the workload was still large, while the requirement was urgent but absolutely safe, avoiding impact on the dam body. Although the rain had eased, the dismantling work at the foot of the dam was still carried out with extreme caution.

XUAN QUYNH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/quan-doi-thao-go-long-be-mac-ket-ngan-nguy-co-vo-dap-an-trach-post799371.html