In early July 2025, a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper recorded that at the construction site of the To Lich River Dam (Thanh Liet Ward, Hanoi), more than a dozen workers are urgently constructing the final items such as paving the ground, completing the approach road, reinforcing the embankments on both sides of the dam...
This is the first dam to be built on the To Lich River, starting in February 2025 in the downstream area.
The project is one of the solutions to deal with the situation of To Lich River at risk of depletion in the winter-spring, after Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment Plant came into operation and collected almost all of the wastewater dumped into the river, but did not replenish it.
Faced with the above situation, Hanoi city has calculated a series of solutions to supplement the flow of To Lich river, such as building a culvert to lead water from the Red River, temporarily taking treated water from West Lake to supplement and especially building a dam to hold water.
The dam on To Lich River is considered a "regulatory valve", helping to keep and regulate the river water level, especially in the dry season. When the water flow decreases, the dam will retain part of the water to maintain the minimum flow and water level, avoiding the situation of drying up the riverbed.
Not only does the project retain water, it also contributes to improving water quality and reducing pollution by increasing flow circulation.
The dam has the same function as a spillway or a culvert with a valve, the water barrier structure of the dam is made of rubber bags connected to the dam foundation, the water level can be adjusted by pumping or discharging gas/water into the bag. Rubber dams have many advantages compared to traditional dams such as low cost, fast construction, ability to withstand uneven subsidence and good flood discharge.
Due to the characteristics of the To Lich River with a significant slope, the difference in riverbed elevation at the starting point of Hoang Quoc Viet Street and the end point of Thanh Liet is about 2m, so the amount of water added to the river with a low flow rate is not enough to create a flow and increase water flow over the entire length of the river.
Currently, the total volume of the entire project has reached more than 70%. It is expected that the To Lich River dam will be completed before August 2025.
Some recorded images:
