Key project, in disarray after 6 years of construction
The Loc Dai Reservoir Project (in Que Son District) started construction in 2018 with a total investment of more than 291 billion VND, expected to provide irrigation water for 500 hectares of agricultural land, contributing to reducing flooding in downstream areas.
Initially, the project was expected to be completed in 2020, but due to delays, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province extended the progress to the end of 2025.
Previously, during the project implementation, Quang Nam province granted a license to Quang Nam Agricultural and Forestry Development Investment Company Limited to exploit crushed stone and fill soil in the project area. Meanwhile, the construction of the reservoir is still "stuck at the site", due to land clearance problems and lack of fill soil.
Current status of the project instead of a reservoir for agricultural production, there is only mineral exploitation at the construction site.
On March 24, the Office of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee said that the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee had requested the Provincial Inspectorate to intervene and clarify compliance with legal regulations on land, environment, investment and construction at the project. At the same time, the province also requested to determine the responsibilities of each relevant collective and individual and propose handling measures.
In addition, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board to review all legal documents, investment scale, implementation progress, disbursement capital... to report and propose adjustments to the investment policy. The People's Committee of Que Son district is also required to speed up compensation and site clearance to hand over the remaining area to the investor.
Slow progress, paying more than 36 billion VND in central capital
Notably, the sluggish site clearance of this project has made it impossible for Quang Nam province to carry out construction, leading to the return of more than VND 36.5 billion from the central budget due to failure to disburse on time.
The Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province has also requested the People's Committee of Que Son district to review the collective and individual responsibilities related to this delay. At the same time, the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board must also organize a review of responsibilities for individuals and project management units.
According to local people, previously at the location where the reservoir was being built, people blocked the stream to bring water to serve 50 hectares of rice, but the old ditch was affected by the construction project, so there was a lot of erosion, unable to bring water to the fields. The fact that the soil here is barren makes farming in the dry season very difficult.
The Loc Dai Reservoir Project is considered a key project of Quang Nam, playing an important role in developing sustainable agriculture and preventing natural disasters. However, without a drastic solution, this project is at risk of becoming a long-term "suspended" project, causing waste of the state budget and affecting people's lives.
Not only the delay, the Loc Dai lake project was also involved in a scandal when at the end of 2022, the state Audit requested Quang Nam province to recover and pay the state budget more than 927 million VND and reduce the payment acceptance of more than 533 million VND for the project.
The reason pointed out by the State Audit is that the investor has conducted acceptance and payment to determine incorrect costs for survey consulting, construction drawing design - estimate, and site clearance stake-ups.
