Many works are damaged and degraded
According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Kon Tum province, the whole province currently has 495 irrigation works, of which 178 works are managed by the provincial level and 317 works are managed by the district level. However, many works built a long time ago have degraded, affecting irrigation capacity and natural disaster prevention.
The Department's leaders said: "Many reservoirs were built in previous years with simple structures and manual construction. After a long period of use, combined with the impact of climate change and deforestation of upstream forests, these works have been silted up and seriously degraded. In particular, many works still use temporary floodgates in soil, or there are no roads for management, operation and rescue when there are incidents, posing a high risk of insecurity during the rainy and stormy season".
A similar situation is also happening in Dak Lak province - the locality with the largest number of irrigation works in the Central Highlands. Many works were built in the 1990s and are currently damaged and degraded due to lack of specialized management human resources and are not regularly maintained and repaired.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long - Head of the Dak Lak Province Irrigation Department - said: "The whole province currently has more than 100 damaged lakes and dams that need upgrading and repairing. Although the locality has repeatedly requested the Central Government to support capital to handle seriously degraded projects, it has not been approved. While waiting for resources, the province can only temporarily repair and reinforce vulnerable points to ensure safety".
In Gia Lai, there are currently 118 irrigation reservoirs, of which 114 are in operation to serve agricultural production. However, most of these works have been built for a long time, so it is difficult to avoid deterioration. Most recently, at Ia Ring reservoir ( Ia Tiem commune, Chu Se district), flood response forces discovered a large sinkhole right in the middle of the dam body, causing water leakage and creating a dangerous whirlwind.
According to initial assessments, the incident caused more than 10 hectares of cultivated land in the downstream area (in Ia Tiem commune, Chu Pong commune and Chu Se town) to be flooded. Ia Ring Lake is a project invested by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, started in 2003, completed in 2005 with a total capital of nearly 156 billion VND.
Need to upgrade and repair soon
Mr. Le Ngoc Tuan - Chairman of Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee - emphasized: "The repair and upgrading of damaged and degraded irrigation works is an urgent requirement. This not only contributes to ensuring the safety of dams and reservoirs but also improves the efficiency of agricultural production, reduces damage caused by natural disasters and adapts to increasingly complex climate change".
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long - Head of the Dak Lak Province Irrigation Department - commented: "After the locality implements the two-level government, the irrigation works managed by the district level will be handed over to the commune for receipt. Commune-level authorities are responsible for monitoring the safe operation of the reservoir system. For works that are severely damaged and need to be repaired or temporarily reinforced, it is necessary to propose to competent authorities for resolution. Thereby, ensuring the safety of people during the rainy and stormy season".
In Gia Lai, the Provincial People's Committee directs dam owners to strictly implement the regulations on inter-reservoir operation, regulate water appropriately and increase propaganda to raise public awareness in natural disaster prevention and control, proactively responding to floods.
For seriously degraded works, Gia Lai province will recommend the Government and central ministries and branches to support funding for repairs, upgrades, and ensure safety for people and production.
