Central Highlands: Risk of landslides and dam safety issues.

The Central Highlands region has a mountainous terrain. Every rainy season, many areas face the risk of landslides, threatening to engulf villages and disrupt transportation. In recent weeks, several locations in the Central Highlands provinces have recorded heavy rainfall, causing landslides.

The embankment on the bypass road around Mang Roi Pass (Kon Tum province) shows signs of landslide. Photo: HUU PHUC

In Kon Tum province, three districts are located in areas prone to landslides: Kon Plông, Tu Mơ Rông, and Đăk Glei. Among them, the village of Đăk La (Đăk Ring commune, Kon Plông district) currently has 41 households living in high mountainous areas at risk of landslides.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Ring commune (Kon Plong district), said that the locality is supporting the relocation of the households from the landslide-prone area. The residents will receive financial assistance to build houses in the new resettlement area.

In Tu Mo Rong district, following recent heavy rains, several sections of National Highway 40B experienced landslides, with soil spilling onto the road. Additionally, the bypass road around Mang Roi Pass, connecting Dak To district to Tu Mo Rong district (both in Kon Tum province), also suffered landslides, with soil and rocks falling onto the road surface. On the embankment slope, large blocks of soil and rocks are on the verge of collapsing, threatening the safety of road users. The retaining wall on the embankment slope is cracked, broken, and leaning towards the road, posing a risk of collapse under significant force (photo).

Mr. Phan Muoi, Director of the Kon Tum Department of Construction, said that many other roads in the area also frequently experience landslides during the rainy season, such as the Ho Chi Minh Highway, National Highway 40B, Truong Son East Road, Provincial Road 672, Provincial Road 673, Provincial Road 675, Provincial Road 677, the Plei Krong Hydropower resettlement road, and the Ngoc Hoang - Mang But - Tu Mo Rong - Ngoc Linh road…

"On the aforementioned landslide-prone roads, to ensure safety and prevent traffic disruption, the department has requested road management units to regularly deploy personnel to monitor the situation and have machinery ready to clear and reopen roads when landslides occur," Mr. Mười said.

Meanwhile, in Dak Nong, the areas of Bon Bu Krac and Bon Bu Prang 1A (Quang Truc commune, Tuy Duc district) are frequently affected by severe landslides during the rainy season. The province has declared a state of emergency due to natural disasters to respond to and mitigate the situation. Currently, Tuy Duc district is urgently completing a resettlement project to provide stable housing for 100 households in areas at high risk of landslides.

The retaining wall on the slope of the Mang Roi Pass bypass (Kon Tum province) is cracked, broken, and leaning towards the road, posing a risk of collapse if subjected to significant force.

Another concern during the rainy season in the Central Highlands is the safety of dams and reservoirs from hydroelectric and irrigation projects.

According to Mr. Le Trung Kien, Deputy Head of the Irrigation Department of Dak Lak province, there are currently more than 600 irrigation dams and reservoirs in the province. Many of these structures were built a long time ago and are now showing signs of damage and deterioration. Through review and inspection, it has been determined that more than 100 irrigation dams and reservoirs in the province are damaged and unsafe. The Department has reported this to the Dak Lak Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, requesting the central government to allocate funds for upgrading and repairing them to ensure safety during the rainy season.

Mr. Mai Trong Dung, Deputy Director of the Dak Lak Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that the department has issued a document requesting localities to allocate forces, materials, and equipment to khắc phục incidents and ensure smooth traffic flow when heavy rains occur. In addition, it requested localities to inspect and review critical infrastructure and dams at risk of failure to proactively develop response plans to ensure the safety of the structures and downstream areas in the event of floods.

To ensure the safety of 31 hydropower plants in the province during the rainy and stormy season, Mr. Pham Van Binh, Director of the Gia Lai Department of Industry and Trade, said that a team has been established to inspect the safety assessment of dams and reservoirs. The team will inspect the following areas: reservoir operation procedures; dam maintenance procedures and operating equipment; disaster response plans; and dam and reservoir protection plans.

The inspection aims to ensure that hydropower plants operate safely during the rainy and stormy season. Similarly, the People's Committee of Kon Tum province recently approved a plan to protect the dams and reservoirs of six hydropower plants built in the districts of Kon Plông, Kon Rẫy, Đăk Tô, and Đăk Hà.

HỮU PHÚC

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tay-nguyen-nguy-co-sat-lo-dat-mat-an-toan-ho-dap-post801125.html