Son La strengthens irrigation system after flood season

Son La Department of Agriculture and Environment has reviewed and inspected the entire irrigation system to assess the safety level for 2026.

Review the entire dam system

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Son La currently has 111 large, medium and small irrigation reservoirs; of which 86 are on the list of reservoirs that must be managed safely according to Decree 114/2018/ND-CP. All reservoirs are directly managed and operated by Son La Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited.

In addition, the province has more than 2,400 other irrigation works including dams, temporary dykes, canals, pumping stations, water intakes... serving irrigation for over 34,000 hectares of crops, more than 1,100 hectares of aquaculture, irrigating 2,600 hectares and supplying water for many other people's daily life and production needs.

Son La irrigation system has contributed to creating conditions for redistributing natural water resources, regulating water flow, and improving the ecological environment. Photo: Nguyen Nga.

Before the 2025 flood season, the authorities periodically inspected all 111 reservoirs. The results showed that 98 reservoirs met safety level A, 13 reservoirs met level B, and no reservoirs were at high risk of being unsafe. However, some projects need to be closely monitored during operation, such as Tho Loong reservoir (Quynh Nhai) which is heavily seeping and must limit water storage; Noong La reservoir (old Son La city) and Noong Gieng (Thuan Chau) have dam slope deformation.

The province currently has 51 spillways that have not been reinforced and 66 reservoirs that do not meet their designed flood discharge capacity. Of the 30 reservoirs that must undergo mandatory dam and reservoir safety inspections, only 8/30 have been inspected so far; 12/30 have been marked for their protection range. Tasks such as establishing maintenance procedures, downstream flood maps, and completing the dam database are still being implemented.

Mr. Le Xuan Hung, Deputy Head of the Department of Irrigation and Water Resources, said: Most of the irrigation reservoirs in the province were built from 1976 to before 2000, and have experienced many natural disasters, so their current condition has clearly deteriorated. Many projects have not been invested synchronously, and technical documents have been lost through many transfers. We are reviewing and classifying the level of damage to make a maintenance plan for the period 2025-2030, prioritizing high-risk reservoirs and densely populated areas.

Before the flood season, Son La Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited coordinated with units and localities to dredge and clear the flow of water at irrigation dams. Photo: Nguyen Nga.

It is known that the capital requirement for maintenance in the whole province is about 383 billion VND, but the local budget and annual exploitation financial resources can only meet a small part. Currently, Son La Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited is taking from the exploitation management source to implement the "rolling" method - both maintaining and handling key items.

Strengthening operations and ensuring water supply safety

Along with assessing the current situation, management units have strengthened the safe operation of dams, proactively developed plans to respond to natural disasters, and ensured water supply for production and daily life.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, Director of Son La Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited, said: Before the flood season, the Company coordinated with sectors, units, local authorities and people to clear and dredge the flow; remove and clean up obstacles on and in front of spillways, canal banks and ditches that could block the flow.

During the rainy season, organize 24/7 on-duty at large lakes; closely monitor weather developments and reservoir water levels on rivers and streams in downstream and low-lying areas to proactively regulate and operate according to procedures.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La, during the 2025 flood season, the whole province did not record any additional reservoirs that had to stop storing water. Large reservoirs such as Ban Mong, Chieng Dong, Na Ngap, etc. have been installed with automatic monitoring and warning systems to support construction safety monitoring.

Construction of drainage ditches in key areas to stabilize irrigation water sources. Photo: Nguyen Nga.

In the long term, to reduce pressure on the dam system and increase the ability to respond to natural disasters, Son La focuses on investing in upgrading irrigation infrastructure. In the immediate period of 2021-2025, more than 200 investment projects to build new, upgrade, and repair irrigation works, prevent natural disasters, and rural water supply and drainage have been implemented, with a total cost of over 700 billion VND.

Focus on key projects such as: Flood drainage project from Chieng Sinh to the city center; flood control project in Phieng Nghe village; Nam La stream embankment phase II; Suoi Muoi and Suoi Tac anti-erosion embankment phase II; Lang Luong Lake construction project; Na San irrigation system phase II.... These projects contribute to improving water regulation capacity, reducing flooding and landslides, and improving the landscape and ecological environment.

In addition, the province is currently operating 45 automatic rain gauge stations, 5 manual stations, 2 water level gauge stations and 2 automatic meteorological stations, connected to the Provincial Hydrometeorological Station, serving early warning and reservoir operation management.

In 2026, the Son La Department of Agriculture and Environment will continue to prioritize ensuring reservoir safety; focus resources on repairing and upgrading degraded works; complete downstream flood maps and emergency response plans; and strengthen disaster prevention capacity at the grassroots level, aiming to operate the irrigation system safely and sustainably.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/son-la-cung-co-he-thong-thuy-loi-sau-mua-mua-lu-d783755.html