Ensuring the safety of the dike system to respond to floods and storms

Due to the complicated weather conditions, the water level in Ninh Binh province's rivers has risen in recent days, the water level of Day River and Hoang Long River is now above alert level 3. Ensuring absolute safety for the dike system is an urgent task that requires Party committees, authorities and localities to carry out regularly and continuously, without being subjective or negligent.

Commune militia and local people participate in handling the landslide in Hung Tien commune, Kim Son district. Photo: Truong Giang

Huu Day Dike is a level II dike, with a length of more than 75km. In recent days, due to the impact of storm No. 3 combined with post-storm circulation, the dike section running through Hung Tien commune (Kim Son) has suffered a landslide with a total length of about 40m, posing a great risk of landslides and leaks. If not reinforced in time, it will threaten the safety of the dike.

Comrade Tran Anh Khiem, Vice Chairman of Kim Son District People's Committee, said: Realizing the urgency of the incident, immediately after receiving the information, the District People's Committee established a team to inspect the situation and immediately deployed plans to reinforce the dike roof and respond to the flood. The District People's Committee assigned the People's Committee of Hung Tien Commune and the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Sub-Region II to immediately deploy the handling from the first hour of the incident. With a spirit of urgency, making the most of every minute and every hour, hundreds of people, officials and forces were present to handle the incident. Despite the heavy rain, the remedial work was carried out very quickly, effectively and synchronously. Therefore, after many hours of non-stop work, by 5:00 p.m. on September 10, the incident was resolved, the dike roof was reinforced, covered with tarpaulin, and firmly planted with bamboo stakes, ensuring the safety of the entire dike system before the water level in the Day River rose. Currently, the locality is continuing to focus on reviewing key areas, promptly detecting and handling incidents from the first hour.

In Nho Quan district, there are 42.6 km of river dykes, flood prevention index at Ben De (+5.3m), if the flood in the upstream reaches its peak, it can be kept at a higher level, the dykes have been upgraded and reinforced with concrete surfaces. The district has 2 emergency spillways on Duc Long-Gia Tuong-Lac Van dykes, each spillway is 200m long and has 61.5 km of dykes, flood prevention index (+3.5 to +4.0m).

Comrade Bui Van The, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nho Quan district, said that currently, the high water level of the river combined with local heavy rain has caused flooding in riverbanks and some low-lying areas in communes of Nho Quan district. The district has promptly implemented plans to prevent and combat natural disasters, closely following the "4 on-site" motto; directing the People's Dike Management Team to coordinate with the Dike Management Departments of Hoang Long, Ninh Binh, and Hoa Lu to regularly patrol, control, closely monitor and promptly inform about the water level and dike safety. In the communes, committees and shock teams have been established to carry out a 24/7 duty schedule on the dikes. Before the rainy season, Nho Quan district has proactively cleared, inspected and identified vulnerable points to proactively respond to natural disasters.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province's dike system has a total length of 424.5 km passing through 8 districts and cities, including 1 level II dike, 8 level III dikes, 5 level IV dikes and 20 level V dikes. Of which, the dikes against floods on Hoang Long and Day rivers include: Huu Day dike, Truong Yen dike, Huu Hoang Long dike, Ta Hoang Long dike and Dam Cut dike. Most of these dikes have been hardened with concrete.

Storm No. 3 caused heavy rain in the upstream and in the province with heavy rainfall, causing a flood on the Hoang Long River. Heavy rain combined with floods from upstream poured in, by the morning of September 11, the water level in the Hoang Long River and the Day River had exceeded alert level 3. To ensure the safety of the dike system as well as minimize property damage, ensure the safety of people's lives, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development had previously notified authorities at all levels, people, organizations with production and business activities on the river, along the river, and ferry piers to proactively prevent. The industry has directed specialized dike management forces and people's dike management forces to patrol and guard along the dike routes to promptly detect dike incidents such as seepage, leakage through the dike roof, dike foundation, dike body, leakage through culverts to be ready to handle from the first hour.

Localities have prepared forces, materials and means according to the "4 on-site" principle to protect key points if dike incidents arise; ensure smooth communication; have checked and are ready to operate Lac Khoi, Duc Long, Gia Tuong spillways and Mai Phuong sluice to ensure absolute safety for the dike routes.

Units continue to closely monitor the developments of rain and floods on the Hoang Long River, organize 24/7 duty to promptly receive and handle any unsafe situations for dikes and flooding.

Regarding the pumping and drainage work, by the morning of September 12, the Provincial Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited was operating 288 pumps/75 pumping stations and opening 9 sluices, locks under the dike and 24 sluices to urgently drain the water to ensure safety for the Summer-Autumn rice crop and prevent flooding in residential areas and industrial parks.

It is forecasted that in the coming time, the flood situation will continue to be complicated, with a high risk of further dike incidents. Therefore, authorities and localities need to focus highly, not be subjective or negligent, continue to inspect and review dike routes in the area, identify locations at risk of incidents and deploy protection plans, prepare forces, materials and means to promptly protect the dikes and handle incidents from the first hour.

Minh Hai