Ea Ksuy Irrigation Lake, sited in Ea Tan Commune of Krong Nang District (Dak Lak Province) has a capacity of about 680,000m3. It is providing clean water for daily operations of local residents and irrigating more than 100ha of crops in the commune. Built in the 1980s, the lake is now seriously degraded, with many cracks and fractures, proving danger to inhabitants around.
Nguyen Cong Hanh, Deputy Director of Dak Lak Irrigation Works Management One Member Co. Ltd., reported that among 352 irrigation lakes in Dak Lak Province under the management of his company, most are too outdated. 69 of them pose a risk of unsafety, 7 are unsafe, and 3 are extremely unsafe. Even though he has asked for investment for maintenance tasks, in a long term, these structures need reconstruction to eliminate reservoir burst.
Director of Dak Lak Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoai Chuong informed that the province only allocates a certain amount of money for minor repair projects. Major rebuilding projects need financial aid from the Government.
Similarly, many reservoirs in Dak Nong Province are now degraded, posing a threat of water burst. Dak Nong Irrigation Works One Member Co. Ltd. stated that most lakes out of the 250 under its management are unsafe now, especially Dak Sak Irrigation Lake with a capacity of over 7 million m3, which was built 30 years ago.
In the night of July 15, residents in Lien Kiet 1 Hamlet of Buon Tria Commune (Lak District, Dak Lak Province) were deep in their sleep. Suddenly, they were woken up by a loud bang. Rocks after rocks were rolling down from the nearby hill. One house was completed buried, and those poor residents had to evacuate quickly that night.
According to Pham Minh Toai, Deputy Head of the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lak District, besides that landslide spot in Lien Kiet 1 Hamlet, his district still has many vulnerable ones. The most serious ones are along Krong No River, passing the Communes of Ea R’Bin, Nam Ka. The reason of these potential landslides is illegal sand exploitation and irregular water discharge from hydropower plants in the area.
Facing landslides but from a different reason is Kon Skoi Hamlet of Dak Ruong Commune (Kon Ray District of Kon Tum Province). A lack of a strong embankment has allowed Dak Pne River to wash away the land of local residents. Now that they live only 5, away from the river, these inhabitants are always anxious of rain.
Dr. Phan Viet Ha, Deputy Head of Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute, said that one of the main reasons leading to landslides in the Central Highlands is deforestation, leading to the inability to retain land. Therefore, functional agencies must replant giant forest trees with strong roots and raise the awareness of local people on protecting these previous forests in order to in turn protect their own life from possible landslides.
