Northern hydroelectric reservoirs about to release 4.9 billion m³ water

The hydroelectric reservoirs in the North are planning to discharge 4.9 billion m³ water to the downstream areas for irrigation purposes in the upcoming dry season.
In the dry season, rice fields in the Northern region must depend on water from hydroelectric reservoirs owing to low precipitation

In the dry season, rice fields in the Northern region must depend on water from hydroelectric reservoirs owing to low precipitation


Accordingly, Deputy General Director Vo Quang Lam of Vietnam Electricity (EVN) informed the press yesterday that EVN has agreed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the schedule to release water from its Northern reservoirs to the midland and Hong River delta area to serve farming activities in the 2023 winter-spring crop.

Dispatch No.8073 of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry states that the time to receive water lasts 12 days in total, divided into two stages. The first begins at 12:00 a.pm on January 6 until the end of January 9 (4 days), and the second from 12:00 a.m. on February 1 to the end of February 8 (8 days).

The water is normally released from the hydropower plants of Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang, and Thac Ba. Even though the current water levels stored in upstream reservoirs in the Northern region begin to lower, for the sake of balancing between production activities and electricity supply in the upcoming dry season, EVN has decided to discharge 4.9 billion m³ water to the downstream.

Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant is one of the water suppliers for irrigation purposes in the Northern delta.

Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant is one of the water suppliers for irrigation purposes in the Northern delta.


To ensure sufficient water for irrigation and electricity for pumping activities as well as supply in the 2023 dry season, EVN has directed the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) to regulate the water flow logically in order to conserve water.

Meanwhile, to avoid water waste, EVN has proposed that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of related provinces and cities devise a plan to store this water amount sensibly for further use.

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