VietNamNet Bridge – The Dong Nai River Committee said it has proposed the government not to grant any more licenses to build more hydropower plants on the Dong Nai river, in an effort to protect the environment and water resources.

Hydropower plants burdening Dong Nai River

The massive development of hydropower plants has been gradually killing the Dong Nai River. Nguyen Van Lang, Deputy Minister Science and Technology, said at the Dong Nai River Committee’s meeting on December 2, that protecting the Dong Nai River is an urgent task.

He said that the water pollution of the Dong Nai River is less serious than that of Nhue-Day rivers. However, Dong Nai River has more problems than other rivers: it is not only facing the problem in water quality, but also the watershed forest and the flow regime.

Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Nguyen Minh Quang has emphasized that the task of protecting the Dong Nai river is the most urgent if comparing with the other two Cau and Nhue-Day rivers.

In fact, the danger of the Dong Nai River has been warned by scientists for a long time. Dr Dao Trong Tu, one of the experts, who have been thorough research works on hydropower, said that the density of hydropower plants on the Dong Nai River is very thick, and that the upper and middle parts of the mainstream and tributaries of Dong Nai has been separated.

On the Dong Nai mainstream, there are 14 hydropower plants which have been built on 420 kilometers of river. Meanwhile, there are five hydropower plants on 290 kilometers of La Nga River, 6 plants on 350 kilometers of the river. “It is easily to recognize that Dong Nai River has been cut into small pieces by hydropower plants,” Dr Tu said.

This has not only worsened the quality of the Dong Nai River’s water, but has also caused the big changes to the regime of the flow to the downstream which threatens to cause floods in the rainy seasons and drought in the dry season.

Le Hoang Quan, Chair of the HCM City People’s Committee, who is also Chair of the Dong Nai River Commission, said that his committee has proposed the government not to license any more hydropower plants on the Dong Nai River, because the existence of too many hydropower plants on the river are bringing negative impacts, changing the quality of the water environment and the ecosystem.

Investors have been rushing to develop hydropower plants because they hope to generate electricity at low investment rates. However, in fact, the prices to be paid for hydropower plants will be very high, because the plants will influence the forest system, precious natural resources.

Quan said that the Lam Dong provincial authorities have reported the appearance of the prolonged drying conditions due to the climate change. Therefore, the government now keeps very cautious when considering the issue.

Lang said that it is necessary to clearly point out the tasks local authorities have to undertake to protect the river valley. While the economic triangle of HCM City – Binh Duong – Dong Nai needs to focus on treating the urban pollution, the upstream provinces of Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc and Lam Dong need to pay attention to the forest coverage, water regulation and hydropower plant operation.

Regarding the Dong Nai 6 and 6A hydropower plants, Quang said that his ministry is very cautious with the projects, because they would cover up to 137 hectares of the Cat Tien National Park and 200 hectares of the special-use forest. Especially, they can affect the ecosystem diversification.

Source: NLD