The 1,500 billion VND dam on Tra Khuc River is behind schedule.

Quang Ngai Lacking capital and having to clear over 8,000 square meters of land on the north bank, the Tra Khuc River dam project has postponed its progress to 2024 for the second time.

The Tra Khuc River Dam project started in 2019 and is expected to be completed in two years. The project's goal is to raise water on the province's largest river, creating a landscape for the development of Quang Ngai City and preventing salinity. However, in 2020, the Central Inspection Committee concluded that the Provincial People's Committee had violated the law by using salary reform funds to build a dam. The project was restarted in 2022, with the completion date postponed to 2023.

Construction site empty of workers. Photo: Pham Linh

However, in mid-April this year, when the Tra Khuc River was running dry, there were few people on the construction site. Many items were unfinished, the steel was rusting, and some camps were empty of workers. This caused concern because if the project was prolonged, the rainy season would bring rising river levels and damage the construction.

Mr. Le Quoc Dat, Director of the Quang Ngai Province Traffic Project Investment Management Board (investor), said that the total value of the project has been 1,048 billion VND, reaching 80%. Completed items include: embankment walls, battery pillars, valve platform pillars, oil tanks, bottom plates, stone mats, piano spillway bodies... Currently, workers are constructing the embankment roof and bridge deck on the south bank.

According to Mr. Dat, the project is behind schedule due to lack of capital and land acquisition issues. The dam needs an additional VND430 billion, but the province has only allocated VND200 billion. To reduce costs, the Management Board is proposing to cut some items such as decorative lighting; water wheels to create highlights and seagulls on top of the battery tower, with a cost reduction of about VND17.5 billion. However, the People's Committee of Quang Ngai City did not agree because the project aims to create a landscape and aesthetics for the Tra Khuc River.

Land issues on Ngoc Island (left) have slowed down the progress of the Tra Khuc River dam. Photo: Pham Linh

In addition, the project is behind schedule because 8,200 square meters of land on Ngoc Island (An Phu village, Tinh An commune) of 52 households located on the north bank of Tra Khuc River has not been cleared. Currently, Chairman of Quang Ngai People's Committee Dang Van Minh requested the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to coordinate with the Department of Justice to remove obstacles in site clearance for the project.

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