At the foot of the Ban Kieng hydropower project, Tung Ba commune (Tuyen Quang), dozens of households in the downstream area have been worried for many months when their fields and gardens were eroded and silted up after heavy rain.
According to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, the rock and soil from the previous construction process are still standing, many points show signs of landslides, some sections of the stream have changed their flow.
According to statistics, more than 20,000m2 of agricultural land, dozens of meters of canals and many fish ponds were buried.
After each heavy rain, soil and rocks from the mountainside flow into the fields, affecting people's livelihoods.
In response to the above reflection, on October 14, the Department of Industry and Trade of Tuyen Quang province chaired a dialogue meeting between people, commune authorities and investors to clarify recommendations and agree on solutions.
At the meeting, the authorities and people requested the company to temporarily suspend construction, check the quality of the project, clear the stream and ensure the supply of domestic water to affected households.
Mr. Truong Van Tai - Head of Ban Kieng village - said that since the Ban Kieng hydropower project was deployed, the people's domestic water source has been seriously affected and is no longer guaranteed as before.
The situation of continuous water pipes but not being repaired in time has caused difficulties in people's lives and production, many recommendations have been made but the repair progress is still very slow.
The village chief also requested the authorities to check the dumping of the construction unit, because the soil and rocks from the discharge stream flow down, covering the stream, affecting the fields, canals and crops.
Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Ly Van Dinh - Secretary of the Hong Minh Village Party Cell - said that the construction process needs to be carefully reviewed, ensuring the correct design area and volume, avoiding the risk of insecurity for people in the downstream area.
Mr. Dinh also requested the company to re-check the water storage volume of the dam, the location of the dumping site and promptly fix and compensate for the damage so that people can live and produce with peace of mind.
On the side of Ton Tho Agricultural Lam Company, a representative admitted that there was a situation of landslides and lack of water, and said that construction had been temporarily suspended since May 2025. The enterprise is committed to completing all repair contents before October 31.
Regarding the above incident, on October 21, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Hoang Trung Ta - Chairman of the People's Committee of Tung Ba Commune (Tuyen Quang) - confirmed that the landslide area and the affected water source have not been completely repaired.
According to Mr. Ta, the commune has coordinated with the construction unit to conduct a damage counting, and at the same time requested the clearance of streams, dredging reservoirs and providing temporary domestic water for affected households.
The repair will take more time, in October 2025, the commune government will directly inspect the dam area to assess the safety level and urge the repair progress.
"The rain has stopped and there have been no new landslides, but the risk is still there. The commune continues to monitor and recommend that the authorities soon have sustainable solutions for people in the downstream area" Mr. Ta added.
The Ban Kieng hydropower project is invested by Ton Tho Agricultural Lam Construction Investment Joint Stock Company, with an installed capacity of 3.6MW, started construction around 2005, expected to generate electricity in the first quarter of 2020.
In 2024, the project will be restarted, with a completion date for the third quarter of this year. However, there have been almost no construction activities at the construction site for many months.
Ms. Le Thi Ngoc - Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Ton Tho Agricultural Lam Company - explained that due to the heavy rain in the past, the project had to temporarily stop until the weather was better.
Ms. Ngoc admitted that there were landslides that affected people's lives after heavy rains.
Ms. Ngoc provided documents showing that the company has taken many compensation and support actions and said that it will soon thoroughly resolve the shortcomings to ensure the rights of the people as well as promote the project's progress.
