Billion-dong project demolished after several years of use
In late October, people in Cao Bang province were surprised to see the Hien River tunnel (commonly known as the Hien River underpass) being demolished. The decision was made after two consecutive historic floods that caused the river water level to continuously exceed alert level 3, causing damage to nearly 10,000 houses across the province.
Recorded at the scene on November 4, the ground floor and concrete pillars were almost completely demolished, the river water level is at a low level. After the flood, the amount of waste and trees flowing from upstream increased, forming large pieces, blocking the flow of the construction area.
The Hien River Basin was built about 5 years ago to connect 2 projects to prevent landslides on both sides of the river. These projects are implemented in the 2017 - 2022 period, in which the left bank embankment alone has a total investment of 320 billion VND, including 281.6 billion VND from the climate change response program and about 40 billion VND from local counterpart capital.
The embankment project must be approved in 2020 with the goal of protecting Tan Giang and Hop Giang residential areas from the risk of landslides. The total investment is 100 billion VND. Both projects are invested by the People's Committee of Cao Bang City (old).
Due to its low location, every time it rains heavily, the Hien River culvert is often deeply flooded and is the first area affected when floods rise.
Concerns about floodflow, drainage and need to clarify responsibilities
According to people's feedback, during the construction period, the city government once collected public opinions. Some opinions agreed, saying that the project serves military and defense tasks. However, many people also expressed concern that the overflowing ground could affect the flow, increase the risk of flooding in the central area and limit the ability to drain floodwaters.
In fact, after the recent flood, the underground area appeared with whirlpools, causing the roadbed along the river to be destroyed. A section of road on the solid embankment has been peeled off and severely damaged.
Local people think that the exploitation time is too short compared to the investment capital spent, raising questions about project establishment, appraisal and management.
In response to the problems, the Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee issued a notice requesting the immediate dismantling of the Hien River tunnel. At the same time, the province agreed to propose support capital from the Central Government and assign relevant units to study the project to build a new bridge at the current location.
It is known that on March 9, 2022, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cao Bang province at that time, Mr. Hoang Xuan Anh, inspected the project on the left bank of the Hien River.
Here, the government of Cao Bang City (old) has proposed that for the section under the 248m long Song Hien Bridge, to ensure flood drainage and landscape, the city should change the construction plan from the heavy concrete embankment to the overpass design.
After the inspection, the head of the Provincial People's Committee at that time suggested that the locality should coordinate with the design consultancy unit to consider and calculate the design for expanding the overpass so that cars can travel in special cases, the construction design plan must ensure aesthetics, safety, and compliance with standards.
Thus, in a short time, Cao Bang has built river crossing projects twice and had to dismantle them because it affected flood drainage. This reality shows the lack of responsibility in surveying, appraising and managing investment at relevant levels. The province needs to comprehensively review and evaluate the effectiveness of urban irrigation and transportation projects, clarify the responsibility of collectives and individuals to avoid budget waste and ensure long-term safety for people.
