VietNamNet Bridge – Repeated earthquakes have occurred since the day Song Tranh 2 Hydropower Plant began storing water.

Three earthquakes have taken place at the Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant area in Quang Nam province since June 8. Of these, two earthquakes occurred just two minutes apart.

The first one occurred at 13.57.59 o’clock (Hanoi time) June 12, measured at 2.7 on the Richter scale.

The second one took place 13.59.22 o’clock, or two minutes later, near the place when the previous earthquake occurred.

Prior to that, a 2.9 Richter earthquake reportedly occurred on June 8, in the area of Bac Tra My District of Quang Nam Province. Local residents reported that they heard big explosions in the hydropower plant area.

Luong Xuan Vien, Chief Secretariat of the Tra Bui Commune People’s Committee in the district, confirmed that he heard at least two explosions which caused a five-second jolt.

The Quang Nam provincial authorities said they still do not feel secure about the Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant as earthquakes repeatedly occur. They have urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Electricity of Vietnam to investigate to fix the problems. Local people have the right to be informed about the real situation and the possible risks to plan their lives and agriculture production.

Commenting about the controversial hydropower project, Dr. Nguyen Truong Tien, Chair of the Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Works, said: “I cannot understand why the investor chose that place for a hydropower plant”.

“We may have to pay a heavy price for the hydropower project,” he said.

Dr. Pham Tan Quynh from the Hanoi National University, the expert who made a field trip to Bac Tra My District, agreeing with Tien, said: “It is a wrong decision to build a hydropower plant on the granite platform”.

“The granite foundation structure crushed by operational fault systems is the biggest problem of the work,” Quynh said.

“There is a high possibility of self-destruction there, even if earthquakes do not occur,” he added.

Dr. Cao Dinh Trieu from the Vietnam Geophysics Society also pointed out that the Song Tranh 2 hydropower dam is located within the influential area of the Tra My second-class fault system Therefore, the earthquakes there will have direct impacts to the reservoir area.

Scientists predicted that earthquakes measured at 5.5-6 on the Richter scale may occur in the reservoir area.

Since early 2014, when Song Tranh 2 began accumulating water again, more earthquakes have been reported. Some locals affirmed that earthquakes did not occur when where there was no water accumulation.

Bac Tra My’s locals have been informed about the earthquake scenarios and trained for emergency cases. However, they still feel insecure with their lives.

Giang Thi Khoi, a resident in Tra Giang Commune, said she heard a big explosion shaking all the houses in the area on June 8 when an earthquake occurred. Giang hurriedly ran out of her house and saw neighbors who were also trying to run away.

Dat Viet/VNN