VietNamNet Bridge – Just after a heavy rain, the An Khe-Kanak hydropower plant hurried to discharge water, which has caused big damages to people. The plant has agreed to make compensation, but the involved parties have not reached any agreement on the level of compensation.
On the evening of May 24, and early in the morning of May 25, the An Khe-Kanak dam unexpectedly discharged water, thus causing big damages to hundreds of households in the three communes of Kbang district in Gia Lai province.

Right after the accident, the Kbang District’s people’s committee and the Gia Lai provincial people’s committee sent their staff to the site to explore the situation.

The inspectors have come to the conclusion that the hydropower plant did not follow the procedures on water discharging and safety management in the lowlands, which has caused damaged to 143 households.

45 hectares of crops have been flooded; while 10 buffalos and cows have been swept away, 62 water pumping machines and diesel engines have been repaired. Especially, tens of boats and essential items of people have gone with the flood.

Before the An Khe-Kanak hydropower plant discharged water on May 25, the plant had been trying to store water for the last many months. As the plant had detained all the water on the upstream of Ba River, the river had become dried up. Therefore, no one would imagine that the plant would discharge water so suddenly without any plan and notice in advance.

On May 31, Vo Van Phan, Deputy Chair of the Kbang District’s People’s Committee in Gia Lai province, stated that the Hydropower Plant Management Board No 7 belonging to the Electricity of Vietnam, the investor of An Khe-Kanak has to take responsibility for the water discharge which has caused big damage to localities.

In the afternoon of May 31, Vo Luy, Head of the Hydropower Plant Management Board No 7, in the conversation via phone, admitted that the power plant discharged water unexpectedly which has caused damage.

“We tried to discharge water from Kanak reservoir in Kbang district to An Khe reservoir in An Khe district to prepare for the power generation. As it was heavily raining, this caused the flood,” he explained.

Luy promised that in the coming week, he would work out with the local authorities and relevant agencies to discuss the issues relating to the damage assessment and the compensation level.

He stressed that the damage worth of 14 billion dong claimed by the local authorities was too high and he believed that the damage was not so serious.

However, the explanation has not been accepted by local residents. Huynh Y, the man in Dong commune, whose chili growing area was damaged due to the flood, complained that he has never seen such a big flood over the last tens of years. Everyone knows that the An Khe-Kanak hydropower plant has been storing water for many recent months, and in late May, it had to discharge water because of a heavy rain

To date, one month after the flood, involved parties still have not agreed on the compensation level. Saigon tiep thi on June 28, reported that while Kbang district claimed the loss of 14 billion dong, the Gia Lai provincial authorities decided that the compensation level should be 4.5 billion dong. Meanwhile, Luy has affirmed that the total damage is worth one billion dong only, while denying the responsibility for the damaged transport works.

Dang Thi Yen, Head of the Division for Natural Resources and the Environment of An Khe Town, said that An Khe-Kanak has appropriated all the water of Ba River, and the power plant only lets some water out in dribs and drabs, when the local authorities demand. However, just after a heavy rain, the power plant immediately discharged water. As a result, local residents have to bear either drought or flood.

SGTT