Dau Tieng reservoir may submerge HCM City

They released the warning at the seminar titled “Dau Tieng Reservoir: Some Urgent Problems” held by the HCMC Irrigation Science Association yesterday.

Currently, the reservoir water level is 23.35 meters, experts said.

Dr Nguyen An Nien, chairman of the association, said the reservoir, with its storage capacity of 1.58 billion cubic meters of water, can discharge 2,800 cubic meters of water per second at maximum, but in fact, a discharge at just 600 cubic meters per second can cause a relatively heavy inundation to the city, as it happened once in the past.

Meanwhile, many parts of the reservoir are being occupied illegally for aquaculture or sand exploitation, which reduced the reservoir’s water storage capacity, said Vu Duc Hung, chairman of the Dau Tieng-Phuoc Hoa Irrigation Exploitation One-Member Co Ltd, which manages the reservoir.

There was a case in which 10 hectares of the reservoir was occupied. Hung said.

Nguyen Van Ly, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should dredge the bed of the reservoir to increase its capacity and strictly punish illegal occupation of the reservoir, Ly said.

Some experts suggested the reservoir’s height should be raised by 1-2 meters to increase its storage capacity.

Dr. Tien said he would refer experts’ opinions to competent agencies for consideration.

Tran Duy Tien, deputy head of the ministry’s Work Construction Management Department, said the agency would coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant local authorities to set up a management council for the reservoir to eliminate the illegal occupation.