VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam National Committee on Large Dams and Water Resources Development (VNCOLD) has suggested several solutions to ensure water resource security for the Red River’s lower course.

 

 

However, agencies have denied this, saying that water reservoirs are providing water to the lower course as usual, with the capacity of 600 cubic meters per second as required. 

The output in January and February sometimes reached 850-1,100 cubic meters per second, the peak production season of the winter-spring crop.

Dr. Le Kim Tuyen, from the Hanoi Water Resources University, said the water level in the lower course of the Red River has been decreasing since 2004, despite the discharged water capacity that is 1.5-2.8 times higher than the designed capacity.

The scientists from the Irrigation Planning Institute pointed out that one of the causes of the declining water level of the Red River in the dry season is the lowering of the river-bottom altitude and the expansion of the riverbed.

The river-bottom of the Lo River, for example, was lowered by six to eight meters, while Duong River was lowered by four to six meters compared with the terrain in 2000.

The rapid increase in the number of water reservoirs in the upper course is another  reason for lower water levels.

The existing 52 reservoirs prevent over 90 percent of alluvium from going down to the lower course. 

Dr. Truong Dinh Du from the Irrigation Planning Institute noted that the Red River’s water level decline has been seriously affecting the ecology and socio-economic life of the Red River Delta.

The river’s water level dropped to 0.1 meters in 2010, causing serious shortage of water for agricultural production in northern provinces. 

The drought then turned Day and Nhue Rivers into dead rivers and turned some sections of the Red River into deserted land.

Scientists say in order to settle the problem, hydropower plants need to discharge more water to raise the Red River’s water level. 

They estimate that in order to get enough water, the plants need to ensure a capacity of 2,500 cubic meters per second, which means that they need to discharge 32 billion cubic meters of water in the five months of the dry season.

However, the solution is not feasible because hydropower plants do not have water to discharge.

Some scientists suggested building pre-water inlet sluice-pump stations and upgrading the existing irrigation works along the Red and Duong River. However, this solution is seen as one that will not resolve the root of the problem.

HNM