Over 5.5 trillion VND, unfinished for 15 years.

TPO – The Ban Mong Reservoir project was approved in 2009 with an investment of over 3,700 billion VND, which was later adjusted upwards to over 5,550 billion VND. However, the largest irrigation project in Nghe An province has been stalled for 15 years and is still not operational.

A dream project?

The Ban Mong reservoir is the largest irrigation project in Nghe An province, with the Investment and Construction Management Board 4 (Board 4) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as the investor.

The Ban Mong Reservoir project, built in the districts of Quy Hop, Quy Chau, and Nghia Dan in Nghe An province, and partly in Nhu Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province, has a capacity of 225 million cubic meters of water, serving irrigation for more than 18,800 hectares of agricultural land.

According to the design, the main concrete dam is 221 m long and over 45 m high, with a spillway consisting of 5 bays, each 75 m wide. In addition, within the main dam body is the Ban Mong Hydropower Plant with an installed capacity of 45 MW.

The project, approved in 2009 with a capital of over 3,700 billion VND, was later adjusted upwards by an additional 1,808 billion VND, bringing the total capital to 5,552 billion VND. However, construction has dragged on for 15 years without becoming operational, causing significant negative consequences for local residents as well as hindering the economic and social development of the area.

Ban Mong Reservoir is the largest irrigation project in Nghe An province.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stated that the construction component of the project has been completed to over 95%, while the compensation and land clearance work (responsible for Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces) still has a very large amount of work to be done.

According to the progress assessment results received by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, several tasks in Nghe An province are currently behind schedule compared to the plan set by Project Management Board 4. Specifically, regarding the project adjustment, which was required to be completed before October 30th, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has only submitted a proposal to the Provincial People's Committee, lacking the revised design for the Chau Binh canal.

In addition, the implementation of the work to mark additional boundary markers and measure the elevation of the reservoir has been delayed by about a month. The Provincial People's Committee has also not yet issued any document regarding the damming of the river, nor has it added the land allocation for irrigation to implement phase 2 of the project…

Currently, the disbursement rate of funds in Nghe An remains at 0/100 billion VND, indicating that little work has been implemented on the ground.

In Thanh Hoa province, many tasks have basically met the schedule, such as: completing the survey and inventory, disbursing 184/230 billion VND of the 2024 plan; most of the obstacles have been resolved, especially the allocation of land for irrigation has been fully met. However, the construction of the resettlement area is progressing very slowly, the harvesting of forest products has not been carried out, and there is no document from the Provincial People's Committee regarding the damming of the river.

The deadline for completion is December 31, 2025.

To ensure the project is completed on schedule and to maximize investment efficiency, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a directive requiring units to focus intensely on completing the work steps according to their functions and responsibilities. Specifically, the Ministry requested Project Management Unit 4 to urgently complete the relevant procedures, submit them to the Ministry, and report to the State Acceptance Council on the diversion of the river; to take the lead in organizing the construction of the diversion of the river with the construction units and relevant units starting from the beginning of November; and to implement all remaining tasks to ensure the entire project is completed before December 31, 2025.

The Ban Mong Reservoir project has a capacity of 225 million cubic meters of water, serving irrigation for more than 18,800 hectares of agricultural land.

For the provinces of Nghe An and Thanh Hoa, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requests that compensation, land clearance, and resettlement be expedited, while ensuring the safety of the reservoir area to complete the procedures for damming the main dam by November 1st. The provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development are to monitor and review progress, clearly assess implementation over the past period compared to the established plan, identify the causes of delays, and propose solutions.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development particularly emphasized the need to accelerate the construction of the resettlement area in Nhu Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province – a task that the Ministry assessed as being progressing very slowly.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep – Head of the Steering Committee for the Ban Mong Reservoir Project – affirmed the determination to complete all phases of the project, ensuring the completion of phase 1 before December 31, 2025, the completion of land clearance before July 31, 2025, and the commencement of damming the headworks yesterday (November 1).

On October 31st, the Investigation Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security initiated a criminal case for "Violation of accounting regulations causing serious consequences" and "Violation of bidding regulations causing serious consequences" related to irregularities in the investment and implementation of the Ban Mong water reservoir project in Nghe An province. The investigating agency determined that the project was behind schedule, required multiple adjustments to the total investment, and caused significant waste of state budget funds.

Thanh Huyen

Source: https://tienphong.vn/du-an-ho-chua-nuoc-ban-mong-hon-5500-ty-dong-dang-do-15-nam-post1687848.tpo