Regularly releasing floodwaters and reservoirs according to the correct procedures, that is the saying of managers as well as representatives of hydropower project business units.
Regarding the recent terrible flood, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Dung, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Dams and Water Resources Development, said that "the worrying thing is that everyone is right" in the reservoir operation process.
All are in accordance with the process, but the damage caused by the flood was too great, proving that there must be a huge mistake that needs to be pointed out to correct the mistake in time.
Without facing the truth or avoiding the truth, the price to pay will be even more expensive, the victims are the people and the whole economy.
For example, Song Ba Ha Hydropower Plant.
In the early morning of November 19, 2025, the water on the Ba River rose rapidly, rolling down to the downstream area. At the same time, Song Ba Ha Hydropower Company announced an increase in discharge flow to 16,100 m3/s. This is the highest level since the plant was put into operation.
Heavy rain combined with flood discharge with large flood inflows, people could not flee the flood in time, let alone property, poultry, and cattle.
Are the leaders of Song Ba Ha Hydropower Plant wrong or not, they are not wrong, because they comply with the operation process of Song Ba inter-reservoir - according to Decision 878, dated July 18, 2018.
According to Project 878, hydroelectric reservoirs all operate in priority order: Ensuring the safety of works is arranged first. Then there is the need to contribute to reducing floods downstream...
It is clear why floods are so big, that is, releasing too much flood at the peak of the flood.
When the heavy rain lasted for a long time, the downstream was flooded, the reservoir released floodwaters to save the project, causing severe flooding. In that disaster, there is a part of the human ear.
The question is why not change the flood discharge process to ensure the safety of the project and not cause severe flooding due to flood discharge coinciding with flood peak.
Experts and scientists all share the same view, that is, reservoir owners must proactively regulate water first, not wait for floods to occur before releasing water.
However, if the owner of the reservoir regulates water before the flood to reduce the amount of discharge when the flood comes, there may be risks, which is if the flood does not occur, the reservoir does not have enough water to produce electricity.
To ensure the owner of the pond can confidently regulate the water to cut floodwaters first, there needs to be support when there is a risk. Regarding this issue, the People's Committee of Da Nang City has proposed that the state pay compensation to the lake owner - if the reservoir is regulated and released, and the flood does not occur as expected.
The process must be revised to avoid serious flooding due to flood discharge coinciding with the flood peak again.
