Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh inspects and directs flood response efforts in western Nghe An

Accompanying him were Mr. Dang Thanh Tung, Member of the Provincial Party Committee's Executive Committee and Chief of the Provincial People's Committee Office; Mr. Pham Hong Quang, Member of the Provincial Party Committee's Executive Committee and Director of the Department of Construction; and Colonel Dinh Bat Van, Commander of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command.

According to information from the Director of the Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Center, the remnants of Typhoon No. 3 have caused extremely heavy rain in the western mountainous region of Nghe An province, with common rainfall totals from 120-200mm, and over 300mm in many areas (in the past 24 hours). At the same time, heavy rain has occurred and will continue on the upper source of the Ca River within Laotian territory.

The floodwater inflow to the Ban Ve hydropower reservoir is at a very high level (the inflow rate at 10:45 PM on July 22, 2025, was 10,044 m3/s, exceeding the design flood flow rate of 7,770 m3/s). The upstream water level of the reservoir is rising very quickly and is at risk of exceeding its normal water level on the morning of July 23, 2025. There is a very high risk of flash floods and landslides on steep slopes and along rivers and streams, as well as deep flooding in low-lying areas.

According to Urgent Dispatch No. 604 issued by the Provincial People's Committee at 9:00 PM on July 22, 2025, the water flow into the upstream of the Ban Ve Hydropower reservoir reached 9,543 m³/s, nearing the check flood peak flow of 10,500 m³/s, which corresponds to a 0.02% flood frequency.

In response to this situation, the Ban Ve reservoir is currently performing flood mitigation, discharging downstream at a rate of 1,727 m³/s, which is expected to increase rapidly in the near future.

The Provincial People's Committee has ordered all relevant departments and agencies, especially the Provincial Military Command and Provincial Police, along with local authorities in the downstream areas of the Ban Ve Hydropower Plant, to urgently implement response measures.

Specifically, they must urgently mobilize all forces and means to assist in evacuating people and property to safe locations, ensure uninterrupted communication, and report promptly to the Provincial People's Committee, the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control - Search and Rescue, and Civil Defense, and other relevant agencies when incidents occur.

The Ban Ve Hydropower Plant is the largest hydropower project in Nghe An province and the North Central region, with a design capacity of 320MW and a catchment area of over 8,700 km².

During a field inspection along National Highway 7, particularly at the Vuc Bong pass area (Con Cuong commune), Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh listened to reports from functional forces and local authorities on the flood situation, landslide risks, and the status of reservoirs and irrigation dams.

After assessing the situation, Mr. Le Hong Vinh requested that localities and relevant units intensify public awareness campaigns, warning residents to absolutely refrain from fishing, salvaging wood, or crossing rivers to prevent unfortunate accidents. He also directed them to arrange for personnel and equipment, especially boats and canoes, to support evacuations and ensure the absolute safety of people's lives and property.

The Provincial Chairman also noted the need to strengthen inspection and close supervision of all reservoirs and dams to promptly detect and handle potential incidents and operate them safely.

Following this, Chairman Le Hong Vinh inspected the Ban Mong Reservoir headworks facility, a key regional irrigation and hydropower project built on the Hieu River. The reservoir has a surface area of about 25 km², mainly located in the former districts of Quy Hop, Quy Chau, and Nghia Dan of Nghe An, and partly in the former Nhu Xuan district of Thanh Hoa. The headworks is located in Yen Hop commune, former Quy Hop district, which is now Tam Hop commune, Nghe An province.

In its first phase, the reservoir has a design capacity of 225 million m³, with 8 pumping stations along the Hieu River and a 45 MW hydropower plant. The government has required the project to be completed and put into operation before December 31, 2025.

At the site, Mr. Nguyen Hao, Deputy Director of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment, reported: "On July 22, due to heavy rain, the upstream water level of the reservoir reached 71.1m, higher than the concrete spillway crest (63.6m). The reservoir is not yet impounding water, so it is currently discharging freely through its gates. The structure is operating normally and safely."

To ensure public safety, the Department of Agriculture and Environment coordinated with localities to promptly survey the upstream area of the Ban Mong reservoir, leading to the timely evacuation of nearly 90 households in Chau Binh commune of the former Quy Chau district to safe locations.

A 600-meter section of National Highway 48 passing through Chau Binh commune was locally flooded early this morning, with about 350 meters still submerged at an average depth of 1.5 meters. The Provincial Military Command has stationed two motorboats there since the morning to transport and assist people.

After the field inspection and listening to reports, Chairman of the Nghe An People's Committee stated that following the initial two phases of prevention and response, all departments, sectors, and localities must now shift their focus to the third phase (recovering from the aftermath of the floods). In this phase, all forces must coordinate to ensure the full provision of necessities to affected residents, leaving no one in need, and ensuring the safety of lives and property. At the same time, they must work to quickly restore daily life and production.

Given the complex developments of the flooding caused by the remnants of Typhoon No. 3 in western Nghe An, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed and issued Official Dispatch No. 119/CD-TTg on July 22, 2025, regarding the urgent response to floods on the Ca River (Lam River) basin. The dispatch emphasizes the need for synchronous and urgent implementation of measures to ensure the safety of people's lives and property and to protect the system of dykes, irrigation reservoirs, and hydropower dams in Nghe An province, especially the Ban Ve hydropower dam – the largest reservoir in the region.