Son La currently has 111 reservoirs, 132 dams and 2,405 irrigation works. Among them, 86 large reservoirs have dams over 5 m high or with a capacity of 50,000 m3 or more.
With hilly and steep terrain, frequent heavy rains, flash floods and landslides, ensuring the safety of the reservoir and dam system is always prioritized in each rainy and flood season.
These days, at Chieng Khoi lake, Yen Chau commune, workers are busy checking the dam body, operating water intake culverts, drainage culverts, and maintaining the valve opening and closing system. All items are carefully reviewed before the lake enters the water storage phase.
Mr. Phan Huy Binh, Head of the Branch of Son La Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Co., Ltd. in Yen Chau, said that Chieng Khoi Lake has a capacity of more than 3.1 million m3, supplying irrigation water for 240 hectares of two-crop rice and 40 hectares of humid irrigation.
Up to now, the unit has completed the inspection of the dam body, flood discharge spillway, water intake culvert and all operating equipment. In the coming time, the unit will continue to closely monitor weather developments, proactively regulate water, ensure project safety and serve production," Mr. Binh said.
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong, Vice Chairman of Yen Chau Commune People's Committee, said that Chieng Khoi and Chieng Dong reservoirs have been important water sources for the local rice and fruit production area for many years. The stable operation of the two reservoirs not only ensures irrigation water but also contributes to reducing drainage pressure during the rainy and flood season.
Not only retaining water for production, many reservoirs in the area are also effective in disaster prevention and control. Ban Mong Lake, after being put into operation, has contributed to cutting floods for downstream areas, reducing flooding in many places that were affected by heavy rain, and providing irrigation water for about 225 hectares of rice and crops.
Mr. Lo Van Toan, Ne To village, said that before, every time it rained heavily, water often flooded into residential areas, making travel difficult. Since Ban Mong lake went into operation, the flooding situation has decreased significantly, and people are more assured in life and production.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, Deputy Director of Son La Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Co., Ltd., said that each year the unit is allocated about 10 billion VND to reinforce and minor repair works. This funding level only meets part of the maintenance and repair needs, while many degraded reservoirs need large capital for repair and upgrade.
To minimize risks during the rainy and flood season, the Company has developed a reservoir protection plan, a disaster response plan and emergency situations; coordinated with local authorities to inspect the current status of the project, clear the reservoir bed, clear the flow and be ready to handle incidents when they occur.
Proactively reviewing, maintaining and safely operating reservoirs not only contributes to minimizing damage caused by natural disasters but also ensures water sources for production and stabilizing the lives of people in downstream areas.
