The Krong Pach River embankment and dike project in Vu Bon commune, Krong Pak district, was approved by the People’s Council of Dak Lak province in May 2020, with a total investment of VND 128 billion and was scheduled to be completed between 2020 and 2023. However, progress has been slow, with only a small portion completed so far.
Embankment project far from the riverbank
The Krong Pach River embankment project in villages 5 and 13 of Vu Bon commune, with a total length of about 2,600 meters, is under the management of the Project Management Board for Transport and Rural Development Construction Works of Dak Lak province (abbreviated as the project management board). The project includes an urgent section of a 728-meter-long embankment in Village 13, which was prioritized for implementation within the limit of central budget reserve funds in 2019 for local areas. However, only VND 18 billion out of the VND 32 billion package has been disbursed so far.
Observations show that the riverbank in this area is gentle, and the embankment is built far from the river edge in many places. Across the river, there is a higher and steeper bank without an embankment, yet no erosion occurs. In this area, numerous concrete pipes are left scattered by the construction unit on a large plot of land.
Similarly, the 1,872-meter-long Krong Pach River embankment section in Village 5 is being constructed by the contractor over a length of about 50 meters. Many iron sheets left outdoors for an extended period have rusted and are lying around.
Notably, according to the design, the nearly 2-kilometer-long river embankment package has several sections located hundreds of meters away from the riverbank. Some sections, from the river edge to the embankment, have been exploited for brick making and rice cultivation, and the height has been lowered. Meanwhile, the river edge is overgrown with vegetation, making erosion unlikely.
Construction of the Krong Pach River embankment section in Village 5, with many parts more than 100 meters away from the riverbank, remains unfinished.
Regarding the Thanh Nien field dike package, after a long construction period, only one drain has been built at the end of the line, and a section of land over 200 meters long has been embanked.
Mr. Tran Van Bac, a resident of Phu Quy Village, Vu Bon Commune, said that in the past, the Thanh Nien field area used to experience long-term flooding during the rainy season. However, about five to six years ago, when the Krong Pach Lower Reservoir in the upper reaches was put into operation and water was regulated, the flooding situation improved significantly.
Mr. Ngo Minh Tien, also from Vu Bon Commune, shared that more than a year ago, his family allowed the construction unit to build a dike in the middle of the field according to the design, but so far, only a section over 200 meters long has been completed. “Before the Krong Pach Lower Reservoir was built, people could only grow one crop, but now they can grow two crops normally,” Mr. Tien added.
Unreasonable embankment sections
A leader of the People’s Committee of Vu Bon Commune said that the project has faced delays due to various obstacles. “The local authorities hope that the investor and relevant agencies will soon implement the project to avoid waste,” he added.
According to the project management board, the construction packages have exceeded their contract implementation periods, which ended on December 31, 2023. There is currently no basis for extending the contract implementation period as the project timeline has not been adjusted.
As of the end of March 2024, the cumulative capital allocation was VND 82 billion, of which VND 41.72 billion had been disbursed. The remaining capital of VND 40.28 billion has not been disbursed, and the overdue temporary advance according to the contract is VND 25.47 billion. Continued delays will lead to overdue temporary advances that must be recovered, causing a shortage of capital sources and prolonging the project completion time.
Surprisingly, after nearly two years of construction, the investor and consulting unit reviewed and proposed reducing a 922-meter-long embankment section, considering it unnecessary.
The investor explained that during the project implementation, the scope of sand exploitation was not clearly defined, but now it has been determined that there will be no riverbank erosion in this area from now until the end of 2025.
Additionally, at the time of the survey and design, the inter-communal road between Ea O and Vu Bon was an unpaved road. Still, it has now been upgraded to a concrete road. The embankment foot is located about 100 meters away from the river edge on average, and people have leveled the area for paddy cultivation. Furthermore, the river’s flow characteristics indicate a very low flow velocity at this location, reducing the likelihood of erosion.
The investor also mentioned that the Krong Pach Upper Reservoir has been put into operation, blocking the flow and reducing downstream flooding.
Proposal to reduce the scale while maintaining the investment capital
According to the project management board, compensation for site clearance and transportation costs due to changes in the location of land exploitation for embankment construction have increased by VND 30 billion compared to the approved plan. The project management board proposed that the Department of Planning and Investment should organize an on-site inspection of the project. Based on this inspection, they will advise the People’s Committee of Dak Lak province to submit to the Provincial People’s Council for a decision to adjust the investment policy towards reducing the scale of the 922-meter-long embankment section while… maintaining the initial total investment capital.
