Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep on the afternoon of July 13 signed an official dispatch ordering the director of Tuyen Quang Hydropower Company to close one bottom spillway gate at the Tuyen Quang Hydropower Reservoir from 4 p.m. the same day, following 13 days of operation.
According to the dispatch, at 7 a.m. on July 13, the upstream water level at the reservoir stood at 105.02 meters, while the downstream level was 52.05 meters. Water inflow to the reservoir had fallen to 569 cubic meters per second, with the total discharge downstream measured at 1,234 cubic meters per second.
The ministry instructed Tuyen Quang Hydropower Company to continue closely monitoring rainfall and flood conditions to ensure the safety of the dam and related infrastructure.
The company was also directed to monitor reservoir inflows as well as upstream and downstream water levels, and promptly report developments to the ministry, through the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority (VDDMA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and other relevant agencies in accordance with regulations.
Previously, under the inter-reservoir operation procedures for the Red River basin, the ministry had ordered the company to open one bottom spillway gate at 4 p.m. on July 1. The gate was closed on the afternoon of July 13 after 13 days of regulated water discharge.
Also on July 13, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment requested the People's Committees of Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho and Hanoi to notify local authorities, residents, businesses and organizations operating on or along the river so they could take appropriate safety measures and adjust their activities following the closure of the bottom spillway gate.
