Ca Mau freshwater reservoir adjusted capital 4 times, increasing by 64 billion VND

About 82% of the contract volume has been accepted.

On April 9, at the press conference and press briefing for the first quarter of 2024, Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mau province, informed that the freshwater reservoir project in Ca Mau after 4 capital adjustments increased from 184 billion VND to 248 billion.

"The contract value of the project after 4 adjustments is 248 billion VND (using all ODA loans), not exceeding the total approved investment," said Mr. Vu.

Hồ chứa nước ngọt của tỉnh Cà Mau, sau 4 lần điều chỉnh vốn đầu tư xây dựng từ 184 tỉ lên 248 tỉ đồng — Freshwater reservoir of Ca Mau province, after 4 times of adjusting construction investment capital from 184 billion to 248 billion VND

Mr. Vu explained that the reason for adjusting the capital of the freshwater lake project is due to adjusting the design to suit the requirements of exploitation and use; increasing the scale of the road surface around the lake from 3m to 5m; creating a connecting road from the lake to U Minh - Khanh Hoi road; creating a flat roof with stone gabions around the lake; adjusting the construction price index (Pn); and rebuilding the construction norms to match the actual construction.

To date, the completed project has accepted about 82% of the contract volume, equivalent to 202 billion VND and has paid the contractor 187 billion VND. The project will be completed on May 30. The project will be completed 1 month ahead of the deadline allowed by the Prime Minister.

It is known that the project has been extended twice. According to the original plan, the construction time of the lake was 22 months (started in January 2021, completed on December 31, 2022). However, due to the sponsor's request to collect more water samples from the lake area for testing during the rainy and dry seasons in 2021, the construction time took a full year to carry out this work.

In addition, during the contract implementation period, due to geological impacts (very weak ground, unusual weather, scarcity of supplies and materials, and having to make design adjustments to suit the site and future operations...), the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province allowed an extension of the construction period to May 30, 2024.

Hồ chứa nước ngọt Cà Mau 4 lần điều chỉnh đội vốn 64 tỉ đồng- Ảnh 2.

Contract extension due to objective factors

Responding to Thanh Nien reporter's question about whether the construction unit was sanctioned but repeatedly delayed progress, Mr. Vu informed: "The need to extend the contract is mostly due to objective factors, force majeure, not the fault of the construction unit, so the investor does not punish the construction unit."

The construction of a freshwater reservoir (construction package No. 67) under Sub-project 8 "Investment in infrastructure construction to prevent and combat coastal erosion, provide fresh water and serve shrimp and forest farming in coastal areas of Ca Mau province" was started on January 8, 2022, with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mau as the investor. The construction unit is a consortium of Thoi Binh Commercial Construction Joint Stock Company and Ca Mau Irrigation Construction Joint Stock Company; The ODA and NGO Project Management Board of Ca Mau province is the project supervisor.

Also related to the capital of the above project, previously, on March 5, Mr. Nguyen Van Sol, Director of the ODA and NGO Project Management Board of Ca Mau province, responded in writing to Thanh Nien reporter, stating that the contract value after capital adjustments was 234 billion VND.

Mr. Sol's reply also acknowledged that in 2023, during the time of using compaction equipment to consolidate the soil to fill the lake bank to the designed density, creating the lake slope, at 2 locations along the lake bank, it sank about 30 - 40 cm compared to the natural ground level. "This is a normal phenomenon in construction, especially in earthworks (the lake bank will stabilize after the soil is consolidated). The ODA and NGO Board has coordinated with the construction unit, construction supervision consultant, design consultant to report to the investor, organize a site survey to determine the scope, and complete repairs after completing the entire item," the document stated.

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