People live with fear of natural calamities

In the Central Highlands, it is now the rainy season and people live with fear of natural calamities. The danger is even more serious as hundreds of irrigation works have degraded, which could lead to ‘water bombs’ attacking villagers at any time.

The Phu My Reservoir in Cu Mot commune of Ea H’leo district of Dak Lak province is  under management of the Irrigation Works Management Company. The work built in 1997 with the total capacity of 174,000 cubic meters provides water to over 100 hectares of coffee growing area in the district.

Many parts of the reservoir have broken down. People in the lower course have been repeatedly warned about the bad situation and the lack of safety.

Phu My is one of over 90 irrigation works in Dak Lak province which show signs of breakdown.

Residents near the reservoir areas have been living in a state of suspense as all the 780 irrigation works and 600 reservoirs with a total capacity of 650 million cubic meters in the province have not undergone safety inspections and have been deteriorating.

In Kon Tum province, there are 492 irrigation works, including 80 reservoirs, 414 dams and 8 pump stations. Of 24 large reservoirs near residential quarters, only three have had flood prevention plans approved, while the plans for other 21 reservoirs are still on paper. 

Nguyen Van Tinh, general director of the General Department of Irrigation, during his inspection tour to Kon Tum, urged the local agencies to check the flood drainage capacity.

Deputy director of the Dak Lak Irrigation Works Management Company Nguyen Cong Hanh, said after receiving the news about the work’s situation, the company quickly settled problems to ensure the safety of the dam.

“We joined forces with Cu Mot commune and Ea H’leo district to fix major problems. The Phu My Reservoir is safe for the 2018 rainy season,” he said.

However, the constant anxiety about “water bombs” over still cannot be lifted.

The irrigation works were mostly built in the 1980s and 1990s. They were put under the control of local authorities before they were handed over to the company.

Meanwhile, Tinh affirmed that it is provincial people’s committees which have to take responsibility for the operation of dams and reservoirs.

“There are not big problems with large reservoirs, while we are insecure about small ones, especially in Dak Lak,” Tinh said.

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