VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is urging the Government to fund its plan to ensure the safety of reservoirs during this year's rainy season.

Tam Son Reservoir in the central province of Binh Dinh's Phu Cat District, with a capacity of 1.1 million cu.m, was upgraded to provide water for 150ha of crops. More than $104 million is needed to repair and upgrade the country's reservoirs, the ministry says. (Photo: VNS)

More attention needed to be paid to the condition of reservoirs due to the significant role they play in the country's economic development, said Department of Water Resources deputy director Vu Van Thang.

The reservoirs supply water for agricultural and industrial production and for daily use, as well as generate electricity, but their role in controlling flooding is also of great importance, Thang said. However, most of the reservoirs date from the 1970s and 80s and are in a degraded condition due to a lack of funds for maintenance.

The condition of the reservoirs now threatens the safety of people in the lowlands during the rainy season, he said. The department has therefore issued an instruction to take steps toward ensuring the safety of the reservoirs, including upgrading drainage systems, improving the capacity of reservoir management officials, and raising community awareness to protect the reservoir systems.

Inspections of reservoirs in the northern region and Central Highlands were ordered, with results to be reported to the ministry by the end of this month, while the central and southern regions were given until August 31 to report back and work out timely measures to deal with flooding in the coming rainy season.

Rainfall is predicted to be about 40-60 per cent above normal in the first two months of this year's rainy season, according to the National Centre for Hydro – Meteorological Forecasting.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News