A project on water and flood management in the northern province of Vinh Phuc has had a significant role to play given the locality has been facing major inundation for many years, especially during the wet season.
Illustrative image (Photo: http://vinhyen.vinhphuc.gov.vn)
This is the first project of this kind in the country to be implemented with World Bank concessional loans totalling 150 million USD. The project has total budget of 220 million USD
Statistics show that the province faces floods once every two and a half years on average during 2006-2013. The Phan River basin, which covers two thirds of the province’s area and is home to 80 percent of the province’s population, is frequently hit by rising water levels.
Losses from floods initially estimated at about 150 million USD in the 2006-2013, with 30 percent of which were in agricultural production.
With support from international organisations such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the province has invested in a range of projects to improve the Phan River’s drainage capacity.
However, existing drainage infrastructure in the province is stretched beyond capacity when heavy rains strike, hence the urgent need for a flood control project.
Under the master urban plan for Vinh Phuc to 2030 and vision to 2050, the project’s target area will be a first-grade urban centre in the future, with greenery and a large water surface area.
The province has decided to address the challenges posed by flooding and water pollution for its long-term sustainable development, and is focusing on improving agricultural production in the entire basin, ensuring safety in rural areas, Vinh Yen city, and economic development zones, and improving the investment environment to attract FDI.
The project management board has instructed contractors and supervisory consulting units to mobilise all forces and take advantage of favourable weather conditions to accelerate construction progress and complete items as committed.
As of August, 80 percent of work in a bidding package to upgrade infrastructure along the rivers of Cau Bon, Ba Hanh, and Tranh in Binh Xuyen district and the construction of two bridges (CW02 package) had been completed.
According to the province’s board on the management and use of foreign loans, once completed, the CW02 package will help enhance flood drainage capacity, lower water levels in the rivers, and prevent flooding from the Tam Dao area from flowing into the centre of Vinh Yen city.
It will also facilitate the operation of pumping station in Nguyet Duc commune, Yen Lac district, helping ensure water drainage for the communes of Huong Son, Thien Ke, Tam Hop, and Son Loi, as well as Huong Canh town in Binh Xuyen district and the wards of Nam Viem, Tien Chau, and Cao Minh in Phuc Yen city, with a total area of more than 31,000 ha.
Director of the province’s board on the management and use of foreign loans, Ho Hoang Phuc, said the project has contributed to controlling floods in the central area of the province, preventing quality degradation of surface water, protecting the ecological environment of existing rivers, and creating sustainable development and a favourable environment to attract investors to Vinh Phuc.
It has also served as a premise for Vinh Phuc to become a new urban area with strong development in tourism services, contributing to improving landscapes and living environments in areas surrounding Hanoi.
Once completed, the project is expected to improve the quality of life of local people, contributing to protecting technical infrastructure and increasing the use coefficient of agricultural land and agricultural production value in the locality./.