Vietnam has its first dam to prevent flash floods

Mud dam in Son La

On the morning of April 16, the Sabo dam to prevent mudslides (flash floods) in the Nam Pam stream basin, Muong La district was inaugurated after more than 6 months of construction. The dam is 61 m long, the dam shoulder is 9 m high, the spillway is 6 m high, the dam crest is 3 m wide, the bottom is 6.6 m with 6 gaps, the gap between the gaps is 2 m wide. The project is expected to contribute to protecting 28 households, a kindergarten, and a cultural house on the left bank downstream of the dam.

Sabo Dam is part of the Project to Enhance Capacity to Reduce Flash Flood and Landslide Risks in the Northern Mountainous Region, using non-refundable ODA capital funded by Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Mr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ), said that this is a pilot project. Because it is built alone, the Sabo dam will have difficulty achieving its full effectiveness.

"We have proposed that the Japanese Government continue to support Vietnam in synchronously building the Sabo dam system on the Nam Pam river basin. If invested in and built synchronously, this dam system can become a model for Vietnam to evaluate its effectiveness, from which it can consider and mobilize resources to invest in replication in other areas with similar risks," said Mr. Son.

Since the 19th century, Japan has researched and developed the Sabo Dam project. Dams are built at vulnerable points where flash floods often occur, designed to let water flow through but retain soil, rocks, and trees. To date, more than 64,000 large and small Sabo dam projects have been built in Japan. The model is also applied in Taiwan and Korea.

Landslides and flash floods cause great loss of life and property in Vietnam. In 2024, Typhoon Yagi, a force 14 typhoon with gusts of force 17, made landfall in the North, causing great loss of life mainly due to landslides and flash floods. In Lao Cai, the majority of the 132 deaths and 19 missing people were due to this cause.

TH (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/viet-nam-lan-dau-co-dap-ngan-lu-quet-409572.html