Key irrigation project needs to remove obstacles

Despite being considered a strategic project to effectively use the water resources of La Nga River for the development of the Southern region of Binh Thuan Province and the surrounding areas of Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces, the La Nga No.3 Water Reservoir project is currently unable to be deployed because it is at the same location as a hydropower project.
Key irrigation project needs to remove obstacles ảnh 1 The project management office of La Ngau Hydropower Plant Project has been abandoned from 2010. (Photo: SGGP)
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Thuan Province, in 2020, the La Nga No.3 Water Reservoir project in La Ngau Commune, Tanh Linh District, was approved by the Prime Minister in the Vietnam Irrigation Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, and in the planning approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the People's Committee of Binh Thuan Province.

Accordingly, the project, with a capacity of 470 million cubic meters of water, will supply more than 1.3 billion cubic meters of water to irrigate more than 97,000 ha of farming areas in Binh Thuan and Dong Nai provinces annually; provide additional water for irrigation reservoirs in the South of Binh Thuan Province; supply more than 600,000 cubic meters per day of water for daily life, industrial production, and tourism and services for Binh Thuan and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces.

After discharging water for irrigation, the water reservoir still has enough water sources to build a 34MW hydroelectric power plant, expected to provide about 152.2 million kWh per year. In August 2020, the MARD decided to assign Irrigation Investment and Construction Management Board No.7 to prepare to invest in this project. However, the pre-feasibility study report has been facing many problems.

A representative of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Thuan Province said that the main reason is that the La Ngau Hydropower project, with a capacity of 46MW, located in the heart of La Nga No.3 Lake, invested by La Ngau Hydropower Joint Stock Company, has not been removed from the National Electricity Development Plan. After some sub-categories of the La Ngau Hydropower Project were constructed, the project has been stopped completely since 2010. The project management office is also abandoned and seriously degraded.

The Provincial Party Committee, the People's Committee of Binh Thuan Province, and the People's Committee of Dong Nai Province have repeatedly proposed to the Prime Minister to remove the La Ngau Hydroelectricity Plant project from the National Electricity Development Plan so that the MARD and the province can build the La Nga No.3 Water Reservoir.

However, in the draft National Power Development Plan VIII submitted to the Prime Minister for approval, the Ministry of Industry and Trade still keeps the La Ngau Hydropower Plan in the heart of La Nga No.3 Lake. If the National Power Development Plan VIII is approved, the La Nga No.3 Water Reservoir will be unable to build.

Besides, Binh Thuan Province also needs to convert 686.6 hectares of forest, most of which are natural and special-use forests, to implement the La Nga No.3 Water Reservoir project and is waiting for the National Assembly to decide on a policy. Similarly, the conversion of 122.2 hectares of rice land in the project is still waiting for the Prime Minister's approval.

It is expected that when being deployed, the La Nga No.3 Water Reservoir project will inundate nearly 2,000 hectares, mainly agricultural land, a part of forest land in three communes, namely La Ngau, Dong Kho, and Duc Binh in Tanh Linh District, a part of the area belongs to La Da Commune in Ham Thuan Bac District, and My Thanh Commune in Ham Thuan Nam District. About 600 households with about 2,700 people will have to be relocated.

Other news