Urgent construction of a project to prevent the collapse of a very large lake in Lam Dong

Lam Dong has urgently mobilized construction forces to work overnight to reinforce and prevent the Cay An lake, which contains about 1.7 million cubic meters of water, from bursting, and at the same time evacuate 110 households.

Driving Melaleuca piles at the foot of the dam to limit landslides is the main measure - Photo: TL

As of this morning, November 8, the urgent construction of works to reinforce the dam foot and prevent the Cay An irrigation reservoir from breaking is still continuing.

On the night of November 7, hundreds of police, army and militia officers and soldiers were mobilized to fill the dam with soil and drive cajuput piles into the foot of the dam, while releasing spillways to lower the water level to reduce pressure on the dam body.

Also that night, Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Muoi directly inspected the scene and signed an order to build an emergency project to overcome the seepage and landslide situation at Cay An Lake. The goal is to ensure the safety of the project, protect the lives and property of about 400 households and 200 hectares of cultivated land in the downstream area.

Ta Nang Commune Party Secretary Nguyen Tien Dien said that in late September and early October 2025, cracks appeared at the foot of the dam, so the locality had to release spillways and lower the reservoir water level to ensure safety.

In recent days, a crack about 54 meters long, 2 meters deep, and 0.2-0.5 meters wide has appeared at the base of the dam near the spillway, increasing the risk of a dam break when heavy rain continues. "We continue to release spillways, while also driving cajuput piles and drilling concrete at the base of the dam to stabilize the structure," said Mr. Dien.

Chairman of Ta Nang Commune People's Committee Nguyen Vu Linh Sang informed that the locality has evacuated 110 households from the dangerous area, deployed guards, and set up checkpoints at many locations around the lake and downstream stream. Working groups are preparing earthen bags to be ready to block the flow in case of an emergency, while ensuring essential supplies for people taking shelter.

Authorities advise against grazing livestock, swimming, fishing or living near the lake and downstream areas.

After surveying the cracks at the foot of Cay An dam, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lam Dong province determined that the dam is likely to break if there is heavy rain in the coming days and landslides at the foot of the dam are not prevented in time as is currently being implemented.

Besides reinforcing the dam foot, water in the lake is also sucked away in many directions to reduce the load on the lake - Photo: MV

Large plastic tarps are used to waterproof the dam body, in case heavy rain weakens the ground structure - Photo: MV

People support authorities to save Cay An irrigation lake - Photo: MV

Cay An Lake is an earthen lake.

Cracks on the earthen embankment - Photo: HT

Cay An Lake is an earthen dam, put into use about 20 years ago, with a design capacity of nearly 1.7 million m³, providing irrigation water for agricultural production in Ta Nang and neighboring areas.

The lake is over 20 hectares wide, with many upstream streams flowing into it, so the water level rises quickly when it rains heavily. Forces are on duty 24/7, speeding up the construction progress to ensure the safety of the project and downstream.

MV

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xay-khan-cap-cong-trinh-ngan-vo-ho-nuoc-rat-lon-o-lam-dong-20251108074606582.htm