On the afternoon of September 11, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam said that, in response to information about China preparing to release floodwaters from the Ma Lu Thang hydropower dam (in Chau Van Son, Yunnan province, China, upstream of the Lo river), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese representative agencies in China urgently worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and Yunnan province.
The news report stated that, according to information from Chinese authorities, to support flood prevention and rescue work downstream in China and Vietnam, the Ma Lu Thang hydropower dam did not discharge water.
However, due to the recent heavy rains that have occurred for many days, the water level at the Ma Lu Thang hydroelectric dam has risen very high, causing the risk of the dam breaking. In case of a dam break, it will cause huge losses to the localities of the two countries.
Based on careful consideration, China has notified Ha Giang province of the planned discharge from Ma Lu Thang dam from 15:00 on September 11, 2024 to 14:00 on September 12, 2024 with a maximum discharge volume of 250 m3/s.
After discussions with Vietnam, Chinese authorities will reduce the maximum discharge volume from 250 m3/s to 200 m3/s and postpone the flood discharge time to 4:30 p.m. on September 11, 2024.
China also said it has asked relevant Chinese localities to ensure that only the smallest amount of flood water is discharged to keep the dam safe.
Regarding the upper reaches of the Yuan River/Red River, China affirms that all Chinese hydroelectric plants and dams do not discharge floodwaters.
Implementing the direction of the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the coming time, Vietnamese representative agencies in China will continue to work closely with local authorities to promptly and regularly update information on the flood situation in localities in China that affect localities in Vietnam; coordinate and exchange regularly with local authorities to promote measures to minimize the amount of upstream water from China flowing to downstream localities in Vietnam, thereby minimizing damage caused by floods in the river basins in the Northern region.
