VietNamNet Bridge - Deforestation for the construction of hydropower plants is causing erosion and depression of the surface soil, reducing the ability for water absorption of the soil as well as changing the ecological environment forever, said the central province of Ha Tinh in a report.

Ha Tinh Province has sent the report a report on the environmental impact of hydropower plants to the Office of the Central Party Committee.

At the moment, Ha Tinh has 13 hydropower projects with total power generating capacity of 150MW. The plants have contributed a considerable amount of power to the national grid.

However, Tran Minh Ky, vice chairman of the province, says in the report that besides the inevitable impact on the local ecological environment, the hydropower plants have damaged huge areas of forest land and afforestation yards. As a result, the surface soil will easily face erosion and depression.

For example, to serve land for the construction of Huong Son hydropower plant, the developer chopped down 320 hectares of natural forest and 23 hectares of replanted forest.

In another case, some 137 hectares of protected forest was also cut down to make space for the construction of Ho Ho hydropower plant.

The construction of hydropower plants is damaging a remarkable area of natural and protective forest and the farming land of local people.

Furthermore, according to the report that was obtained by the Daily on Thursday, the vice chairman of Ha Tinh province also says the development has been affecting the source of irrigational water for the lowlands.

In October last year, a heavy flood damaged part of an impoundment of Ho Ho hydropower plant and caused serious damage for local people as well as the project’s developer. The incident resulted from incorrect hydrology data and the lack of spare power source.

Do Duc Quan, vice director of the Energy Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, told the Daily on Thursday that at this moment around 25 hydropower projects have been revoked and eliminated out of the national hydropower development plan.

Lao Cai, Dak Nong, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Quang Nam are some of the provinces having eliminated hydropower projects that have been causing a negative impact on the environment.

The country has some 890 small and medium hydropower projects which were approved in the national hydropower development plan with a total generating capacity of 5,900MW.

However, at the moment there are only 100 operating plants with a total capacity of 600MW.

Source: SGT