Severely degraded
The Dừa A sluice gate at km 43 + 743 of the right bank of the Thái Bình River, in Chí Minh commune (Tứ Kỳ district), was built in 1962. It regulates irrigation water for over 3,000 hectares in the catchment area of many communes and towns in Tứ Kỳ district. The sluice gate has a bridge structure, 4 m wide, 3.44 m high, and a 13 m long body. The upper part of the sluice gate is short, and the upstream and downstream sides are eroded.
In 1998, the Dừa A sluice gate underwent a major overhaul, extending and repairing erosion, resulting in a total length of 26 meters after the extension. The sluice gate walls are made of brick, and the gate wings are made of steel, consisting of 6 panels.
Since 1998, the sluice gate has not undergone major repairs. In recent years, the downstream section of the Dừa A sluice gate inside the dike has suffered serious erosion, with a landslide area 30-40 meters long, eroding 5-7 meters deep into the bank, showing numerous cracks and the potential for further erosion.
The rack and pinion gate opener is outdated, there are no replacements, and repairs are often done individually, lacking standardization and resulting in serious deterioration.
According to Mr. Trinh Dinh Quyen, an official from the Dike Management Unit of Tu Ky district: "Every time we open the sluice gate to drain floodwater, two strong people have to take turns manually operating the machine, and we have to borrow the pulling force from two concrete weights weighing hundreds of kilograms each, hanging on either side, to lift the gate."
In 2022, the dike section from km 42 + 370 to km 44 + 700 was repaired and upgraded. The stone embankment on the field side of the Dừa A sluice gate was dismantled and rebuilt with earth, and a brick retaining wall 18 m long and 1.85 m high was constructed along the dike, with a wall crest width of 0.35 m and a foundation width of 1 m. The upstream slope of the dike adjacent to the headwall and wing walls is steeply sloped.
The Dừa A sluice gate is located downstream and is frequently affected by tides. In the event of a major flood like the one in 2024, the risk of dangerous incidents in this area is significant, such as embankment erosion near the sluice gate, water leakage from the sluice gate, etc. If not addressed promptly, this could cause dike breaches, flooding large areas of the Tứ Kỳ and Ninh Giang districts and threatening the safety of people's lives and property.
According to our investigation, on March 7, 2024, the Prime Minister approved the "Integrated Flood Risk Management Project Adapting to Climate Change - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development component, financed by the Asian Development Bank," which includes investment in the construction of the new Dừa A sluice gate, to be implemented from 2024 to 2028. Therefore, the province did not include the repair and upgrading of this structure in other investment plans.
3 handling scenarios
While awaiting the implementation of the aforementioned project, the Hai Duong Department of Agriculture and Environment has developed a plan to protect the Dua A sluice gate during this year's rainy season and floods, based on three specific scenarios, to be ready to handle any incidents that may occur.
The scenarios assume that during prolonged high floods, the upstream embankment slopes of the sluice gate and the embankment itself become saturated with water after being submerged for a long time, causing the slopes to collapse, the sluice gate to become stuck and unable to descend, and several leaks appearing on the downstream side of the river...
In response to each situation, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has developed handling plans, timelines, and prepared sufficient supplies, equipment, and personnel... following the "four on-the-spot" principle, implementing them urgently, promptly, and effectively.
According to the protection plan, the Construction Site Command Board for addressing potential incidents at the Dừa A sluice gate during this year's rainy season includes all relevant forces, with Comrade Bùi Văn Thăng, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, serving as the Head of the Construction Site Command Board.
According to Nguyen Tuan Anh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chi Minh commune, in fulfilling the assigned tasks, the locality has proactively signed contracts with individuals to prepare all necessary materials and equipment such as bamboo, sacks, soil, generators, cars, excavators, ropes, etc., so that they can be mobilized immediately when needed.
"We have set up a site for excavating soil for the incident about 150 meters from the Dừa A culvert area, convenient for transportation by car. When ordered, the People's Committee of the commune will mobilize the full force of local emergency response personnel, and if necessary, the entire population along with vehicles to participate in handling the incident," Mr. Tuan Anh emphasized.
Currently, the Tu Ky District Dike Management Unit has assigned officials to regularly monitor and inspect the Dua A sluice gate. During floods, high tides, and when there is information about approaching storms, the dike guard force will be on duty 24/7, monitoring and reporting incidents accurately and promptly to superiors, and participating in handling situations as needed from the very beginning.
TMSource: https://baohaiduong.vn/vi-sao-cong-dua-a-can-duoc-bao-ve-413793.html
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