On the evening of November 7, the People's Committee of Ta Nang commune (Lam Dong) issued an emergency evacuation order for 70 households in Chan Rang Hao and Tou Nhe villages to ensure safety after Cay An irrigation lake was at risk of breaking at the main dam.
Mr. Nguyen Vu Linh Sang, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said that households were evacuated to schools, religious establishments and houses in safe areas. The relocation started at 8:30 p.m. the same day.
Previously, from 2:00 p.m. on November 7, the water level of Cay An Lake was approaching the overflow level, posing a potential risk of dam failure or overflowing downstream.
The People's Committee of Ta Nang commune requires people not to graze cattle, swim, fish or do daily activities near downstream lakes and streams, and urgently evacuate people and property from areas that are often flooded.
Police forces, militia and commune officials were mobilized to support evacuation, ensure essential supplies and equipment for rescue work, and prepare response plans if a dam incident occurred.
Cay An Lake, put into use in 2007, has a capacity of about 1.7 million m3, providing irrigation water for 250 hectares of agricultural land in Ta Nang commune.
In recent weeks, the downstream area of the left shoulder of the main dam has seen local slides, forming cracks, with groundwater seeping through the foot of the dam.
Some other locations of the dam also experienced water seepage and leakage into the river, causing the project to be in a dangerous condition.
On the night of November 7, after receiving information from the Ta Nang Commune Civil Defense Command about the risk of Cay An irrigation dam failure, Mr. Ho Van Muoi, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, was present at the scene to direct the response work.
More than 200 officers and soldiers of the Provincial Military Command and the Provincial Police along with many vehicles and equipment were also mobilized to the scene to carry out the mission.
Through initial inspection, the authorities recorded that after more than 2 days of being affected by storm No. 13, Ta Nang commune continuously experienced prolonged heavy rain.
Therefore, the water level increased, the water pressure was high, so the dam bank had many cracks that were at risk of breaking the dam.
Present at the scene, Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Muoi directed the military and police forces to quickly coordinate with the provincial departments, branches and forces of Ta Nang commune to develop a detailed response scenario and plan.
The forces have focused on implementing the motto "4 on-site" and "3 readiness" to respond and handle situations promptly in the worst case when a dam burst.
The military and police forces are always ready with forces and means to support localities in responding to incidents, rescuing and saving lives when required, ensuring the highest safety for people in the downstream area of Cay An Lake.
