After storm number 3, the worst scenario did not happen to Thac Ba Hydropower Plant.

The film records the scene where Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was on a business trip to Bac Giang, received a phone call from Yen Bai and directed an online meeting afterwards to plan for Thac Ba Hydropower Plant on the morning of September 10 - Screenshot

The documentary Water Bomb produced by Vietnam Television, has just been broadcast on VTV1 and rebroadcast on VTV systems.

The film realistically records the days when the North "struggled" with storm number 3 and the story of the Thac Ba Hydroelectric Plant falling into a dangerous situation.

Anxious about the main dam breaking Thac Ba Hydropower Plant

The film opens with the image of water: “Nothing is softer than water, but no substance has the destructive power of water.”

And on September 7, with its maximum strength increasing by 8 levels in just a few hours, super typhoon No. 3 (Yagi) made landfall in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh and then moved inland with strong winds of level 16, gusting to level 17.

This super typhoon, the strongest in 30 years, swept through 10 provinces and cities in the North before weakening into a low pressure system.

Not yet. The storm's circulation caused flooding in many provinces and cities in the North. Floods on many rivers reached level 2, the dangerous level.

On September 9, after storm No. 3 swept through, the northern mountainous provinces faced record-breaking heavy rains and floodwaters from upstream, putting pressure on the Thac Ba Hydropower Plant in Yen Bai.

Construction began in 1964, with a capacity of 120MW at the time of inauguration in 1971, Thac Ba Hydropower Plant is the largest hydropower plant in the country.

Only 180km from Hanoi, this is a vast lake of 23,400ha. 3 billion ^m3 of the lake is held back by 1 main dam and 18 auxiliary dams.

Dr. Hoang Van Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Large Dams and Water Resources Development, said: “If the main dam breaks, it will be a disaster.” And Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, General Director of the plant, said: “We must not let an accident happen because if not, the flood will be very large, sweeping from here to the Red River.”

Historic flood in August 1971 in the North – Screenshot

Footage of unforgettable days

However, the weather was too erratic, and water continued to pour in. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had to issue a telegram requesting the factory to open the third gate, which was also the main gate.

The film Water Bomb also tells the story of the historic flood in August 1971 in the North - assessed by the US weather agency as "one of the world's greatest natural disasters of the 20th century".

A combination of weather phenomena caused a massive flood that caused 13 provinces to break their dikes and left behind catastrophic consequences with nearly 100,000 people killed.

The flood in the North this year is not as bad as in 1971, but with its unpredictable developments, no one dares to think about the consequences.

On the night of September 9 and early morning of September 10, the flood reached ^5,600m3 /second, while the maximum designed flood flow of Thac Ba Lake was only ^3,000m3 /second and the discharge flow was ^3,200m3 /second.

Mr. Tran Huy Tuan, Chairman of Yen Bai Provincial People's Committee, said the amount of water flowing from upstream "exceeded all design standards".

Worst case scenario given for Thac Ba Hydropower Plant – Screenshot

Thac Ba Hydropower Reservoir is in a precarious situation. Many leaders from central to local levels are losing sleep. They must prepare for the worst-case scenario for Thac Ba Reservoir, which means proactively cutting off floodwaters to ensure the safety of the reservoir and dam.

When watching the recorded footage, the audience was excited and felt like they were in the heart of this water bomb.

Faced with the risk of Thac Ba Lake "breaking", the entire North could be submerged in water, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh decided to order the destruction of Dam No. 4 if necessary when the water level exceeds the safety level.

Fortunately, on the morning of September 11, it did not rain, the water flow in and out were equal, the dam was safe, and people were excited to return home.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sau-bao-so-3-kich-ban-xau-nhat-da-khong-xay-ra-voi-thuy-dien-thac-ba-20240924102748169.htm