Central Highlands: Risk of landslides, unsafe dams

The Central Highlands has a mountainous terrain. Every time the rainy season comes, many areas in the region face the risk of landslides, threatening to “swallow” villages and cut off traffic. In recent weeks, some places in the Central Highlands provinces have recorded heavy rain, causing landslides.

The slope on the Mang Roi pass bypass ( Kon Tum province) shows signs of landslide. Photo: HUU PHUC

In Kon Tum province, 3 districts are located in landslide-prone areas: Kon Plong, Tu Mo Rong and Dak Glei. Of which, Dak La village (Dak Ring commune, Kon Plong district) currently has 41 households living in high mountainous areas at risk of landslides.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Chairman of Dak Ring Commune People's Committee (Kon Plong District), said that the locality is supporting the relocation of the above households out of areas at risk of landslides. People will be supported with funding to build houses in the new resettlement area.

In Tu Mo Rong district, after recent heavy rains, some points on National Highway 40B through this district suffered landslides, with soil spilling onto the road. In addition, the Mang Roi Pass bypass 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. On the positive slope, many blocks of soil and rocks are on the verge of collapsing, threatening the safety of road users. The retaining wall of the slope is cracked, broken, and leaning towards the road, at risk of collapsing if subjected to great force (photo).

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

“On the aforementioned landslide-prone roads, to ensure safety and avoid traffic disruption, the department has requested road management units to regularly dispatch forces to monitor and prepare machinery to level and clear the road when landslides occur,” said Mr. Muoi.

Meanwhile, in Dak Nong , the areas of Bon Bu Krac and Bon Bu Prang 1A (Quang Truc commune, Tuy Duc district) are places that often suffer from severe landslides during the rainy season. The province has declared a natural disaster emergency to respond and overcome the situation. Currently, Tuy Duc district is urgently completing a resettlement project to arrange stable housing for 100 households in areas at high risk of landslides.

The retaining wall of the slope of Mang Roi Pass bypass (Kon Tum province) is cracked, broken, leaning towards the road surface, and is at risk of collapsing if subjected to great impact force.

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

According to Mr. Le Trung Kien, Deputy Head of the Dak Lak Province Irrigation Sub-Department, there are currently more than 600 irrigation dams in the province. Because many of these projects were built a long time ago, they have now shown signs of damage and deterioration. Through review and inspection, it was determined that more than 100 irrigation works and dams in the province are damaged and unsafe. The Sub-Department has reported to the Dak Lak Province Department of Agriculture and Environment to request the Central Government to allocate funds for upgrading and repairing to ensure safety during the rainy season.

Mr. Mai Trong Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak Lak, said that the department has issued a document requesting localities to arrange forces, materials, and means to overcome incidents and ensure smooth traffic when heavy rain occurs. In addition, it is recommended that localities inspect and review key works and dams at risk of being unsafe to proactively prepare response plans to ensure the safety of works and downstream areas when floods occur.

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 contents of the inspection include: reservoir operation procedures; dam maintenance procedures and dam operating equipment; natural disaster response plans; dam and reservoir protection plans.

The inspection aims to ensure that hydropower plants operate safely during the rainy and stormy season. Similarly, the Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee has recently approved plans to protect dams and reservoirs of six hydropower plants built in Kon Plong, Kon Ray, Dak To, and Dak Ha districts.

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