Request to quickly fix the problem of Bac Khe 1 hydroelectric dam and limit further breakage

Photo caption — Scene of the Bac Khe hydroelectric dam ( Lang Son ) breaking on the afternoon of October 7, 2025. Photo: VNA

After arriving at the scene on the evening of July 10, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep said: "We are asking the competent authority and local authorities to quickly fix the problem and limit further breaches. At the same time, we will limit the flow of water from upstream to downstream as much as possible, continue to monitor and evacuate residents if the risk is higher."

Currently, the army, police, local militia and forces of Military Region 1 are present at the scene to find ways to fix and handle the hydroelectric dam collapse.

According to the latest information from the Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Pham Duc Luan, by the evening of October 7, the delegation had arrived at the scene of the Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam collapse. The water is still high, flowing over the spillway and the broken dam. People in the downstream area of the dam have been safely evacuated, with no casualties.

According to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the initial cause was due to prolonged heavy rain with a peak water flow of up to 1,572 m3/s, causing a concrete slab at the water intake of the plant to break, and the central control room and equipment in the room to collapse. The incident affected 3 villages: Bac Khe, Na Soong and Hop Luc. The total number of households in the 3 villages above is 196 with 779 people, of which the households affected by the Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam failure are 23 with 101 people (Bac Khe 7 households: 25 people; Hop Luc 10 households: 40 people; Na Soong 6 households: 36 people). Currently, people in the affected area have been evacuated to a safe place.

Previously, on the afternoon of October 7, speaking to a reporter from the Vietnam News Agency, Pham Tuan Anh, Director of the Department of Industrial Environmental Safety, Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that at 1:30 p.m. on October 7, 2025, at the Bac Khe Hydropower Plant, Tan Tien Commune (Kim Dong Commune, old Trang Dinh District), Lang Son Province, an incident occurred where a section of the earth dam retaining wall about 4-5 meters long and 3-4 meters deep broke. Due to heavy rain on the night of October 6 in the basin, the inflow reached 1,572 m3/s, causing a concrete section at the water intake to break at the plant, and the central control room and equipment in the room to collapse. Currently, there are no human casualties, but the plant is flooded, one metering machine is broken, and other equipment is not damaged.

Regarding the post-incident handling, according to Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, the factory has notified the authorities of Tan Tien commune, Trang Dinh commune, That Khe commune, Lang Son province so that the authorities can notify people to move their assets and move to higher places to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. The factory has also contacted the Electricity Company to cut off the power to ensure safety.

The Minister of Industry and Trade has established a working group to go to the scene to grasp the situation, provide information and give timely direction.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Bac Khe 1 hydropower project has the following main parameters: Reservoir capacity: 4.8 million m3; The dam includes an earth dam, a concrete spillway with a free spillway. The length of the earth dam is 107m, the free spillway is 260m. The maximum dam height is 26.5m; Installed capacity: 2.4 MW. The dam owner is Bac Khe 1 Hydropower Joint Stock Company.

The project has been issued by the People's Committee of Lang Son province with the Operation Procedure of Bac Khe Hydropower Reservoir in Decision No. 2242/QD-UBND dated December 12, 2024.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/yeu-cau-khac-phuc-nhanh-su-co-dap-thuy-dien-bac-khe-1-va-han-che-vo-them-20251007211712217.htm