The operator of the air conditioning pump station is located in the heart of the extended Nguyen Sy Sach street The reservoir pumping station project is funded by World Bank (WB) loan. The project has a total investment of more than 20 billion VND, was handed over and put into operation in 2018. However, at this time, another project was started, making this project not yet effective. Break. When project overlaps project In the early days of May, 2021, Reporter of Traffic Newspaper was present at the construction of extended Nguyen Sy Sach Street (in Vinh City, Nghe An Province). As noted, the construction is unfinished but the atmosphere is quite quiet. On the long road through Hung Dung ward, only a few trucks carry the ground for motorbikes to level and flatten. Meanwhile, the ground on this section of the route has not been cleared, the most typical is the pumping station for the conditioning reservoir. According to observations, 2/3 of the construction area is in the middle of the center of the road. In addition, crossing the road, there is a system of floating sewer pipes and submerged culverts carrying water at the bottom. The entire infrastructure in this project is still quite new. A resident living near this project said: “This wastewater treatment pumping station has just been built and has just been put into operation. Now I heard that they are going to have to demolish to make a road, what a waste.” Confirming information, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Phong, Deputy Head of Vinh City Construction and Investment Management Board said: This pumping station project is part of the Vinh urban development sub-project, invested by Vinh City People’s Committee. from the World Bank (WB) loan. Pumping station with a capacity of 10,500m3/day, built around 2015 – 2016 and handed over for operation in 2018. Mr. Hoang Hong Khanh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vinh Urban Infrastructure Development and Management Joint Stock Company, affirmed: The unit has received the pumping station and operated since 2018. Up to now, the station is still operating normally and has never been opened. exploit at full capacity. This station mainly pumps and transfers wastewater along the two banks of the North canal. “The wastewater pumping station component has a total investment of more than 20 billion dong (about 1 million USD), all borrowed from the World Bank. Now that the pumping station has to be demolished to build a road, I don’t know why the project overlaps like that?”, said Mr. Nguyen Trung Dung, former Director of the Urban Development Sub-Project Management Board. Vinh City (representative of the investor) said. Responsible football Talking to PV, Mr. Nguyen The Anh, Deputy Head of Vinh City Urban Construction Project Management Board, added: The city has assigned the City Land Fund Development Center to coordinate with the City Management and Construction Joint Stock Company. develop Vinh urban infrastructure as a plan to relocate a part of the pumping station, making way for the extended Nguyen Sy Sach road project. When asked why in the process of implementing the planning and adjusting the planning to overlap and overlap between the two projects, which wastes money, Mr. Nguyen The Anh explained: The pumping station project is part of the capital project. loans from the World Bank, formed in the 2010s. At that time, there was no master plan for Vinh City until 2030, with a vision to 2050; Subdivision planning and extended Nguyen Sy Sach street have not been formed yet. It was not until 2015, when the pumping station was under construction, that the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 52 “Approving the adjustment of the general planning of Vinh city, Nghe An province to 2030, with a vision to 2050”. At this time, Nguyen Sy Sach Street was extended. “The board is only a construction management unit, on planning issues, you have to ask the City’s Urban Management Department,” said Mr. The Anh. Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Viet Duc, Head of Vinh City Urban Management Department only said: “The pumping station existed before the extended Nguyen Sy Sach street project. The prolonged Nguyen Sy Sach Street is a key project of the city, if it is not done immediately, it will lose the opportunity that the Central Government has allowed.” And although the plan and cost of moving the pumping station has not been approved yet, Mr. Duc still affirmed that the displacement value is “almost zero”. As for why in the process of planning and adjusting the plan to prevent encroachment, Mr. Duc immediately pushed the responsibility: “It was the matter of my predecessor, I had not done it at that time, so I do not know”. Regarding the relocation plan and the State’s payment, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vinh Urban Infrastructure Development and Management Joint Stock Company – Hoang Hong Khanh said: “We have surveyed and identified outside the fence and yard. , the operator must be demolished and relocated to the rear, there is also a section of the floating ditch that is affected and must be adjusted. Fortunately, the pumping system and underground tank were not affected, so the cost of moving (removing and rebuilding – PV) the above items to the back, cost about 1 billion VND. The extended Nguyen Sy Sach road project has a length of 6.5km, started in 2018, expected to be completed in March 2021, extended until December 2021. Total project cost in phase 1 is 240 billion VND. Currently, 4.5km has been compensated for site clearance. The Vinh Urban Development sub-project has a total investment of 128 million USD, of which the WB’s loan is 98 million USD, and 30.43 million USD is the counterpart capital of Vietnam. The project started in June 2013. The basic items were handed over in December 2018, with some remaining balances extended until April 30, 2019.

Nuoc Dop residential area is located on a hill on the other side of Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir. This is an area not included in the hydropower project, but the people of Nuoc Dop are indirectly affected by this project.

Tired of waiting for the way

We have returned to the Kingdom many times by different routes. For the first time on December 31, 2014, after one day, hydroelectricity was put into operation, to write the article “Dakdrr hydropower accumulation of water: Locking people in high mountains”. At that time, we rented boats, crossed the vast lake bed with more than 11 million cubic meters of water. Both going and going back took nearly 3 hours, with a price of 500 thousand VND.

Residents of Nuoc Dop residential area, Ra Manh village, Son Long commune (Son Tay) open their own “waterways” across the Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir to travel. Photo: Th. Nhi

Immediately after the press was published, the local government held an urgent meeting, immediately mobilizing the youth force of Son Tay district and Son Long commune to open a dirt road to make a passageway for the people of Nuoc Dop to go from the village to the middle communal mind. The road construction project was then urgently implemented, with a total length of 7.8 km, a total cost of more than 17 billion VND from the budget source. However, due to the design and other shortcomings, the project was stopped.

In 2018, the project of making this route restart. The total length is still the same, but the total cost increases to 30 billion VND, from the funding source of Dakdrinh Hydropower investor. Also since here, the Son Tay district government has to constantly go “debt collection” to have money for road construction. However, that road is still unfinished, even in many sections, it is even more difficult to go than the first day I crossed the lake bed, followed the path to return to this upland people.

Recently, we returned to the Kingdom. A 7.8km road can only make about 3.5km of the beginning of the route. The most important stretch of road is longer than 4km at the end of the route, that is, adjacent to residential areas, it is still sprawling with rocks, deep pools and steep slopes. Due to the difficulty of having no way to travel, the people of Nuoc Dop set up a wharf at the junction of the village adjacent to the Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir and named it “Ben Ra Manh”.

We arrived at Ra Manh wharf, Mr. Dinh Van Nghe thought that tourists would go on a trip, so he enthusiastically invited the boat to go to the lake for a walk. Mr. Nghiep said: This boat is the means of transportation of the whole village, carrying acacia, carrying the harvested noodles around the lake bed and on the rising hills between the hydroelectric lake. The investor of hydroelectricity only recovers the land at the foot of the hill, the rest of the people still grow acacia. Have to swim across the lake bed to clear grass, plant trees, then go sawing, taking boats to the shore. The small boat, piled with dozens of acacia trees, rowing all day to come ashore, but there is no other way.

Road to Nuoc Dop residential area. Photo: Th. Nhi

Bringing the story of persistent debt shortage to the leader of Dakdrinh Hydropower Joint Stock Company, Director of Dam Duc Thong Company said: “Hydropower is willing to pay for road construction, but until now, it has only paid about 17 billion, 13 billion more in debt. The reason is that the district has not completed the documents to be able to disburse it “. The file that this director explained is the final settlement of the project, that is, the district must complete, accept, hand over, then transfer the dossier to hydroelectricity for consideration and disbursement. However, on the side of the unit authorized to implement the Nuoc Dop road project, which is the Management Board of Construction Investment and Development of Land Funds in Son Tay District, said that if the capital is not arranged in advance, it will be very difficult for construction. Therefore, we hope that hydroelectricity will consider and make capital investments to make this road more flexible, because the longer it lasts, the more difficult people’s lives.

The electricity was creeping

For many generations, more than 100 people in Nuoc Dop residential area have not had access to the national electricity grid. For many years, Son Tay district has invested money to bring electricity to Nuoc Dop, but for many reasons, the project has not energized yet.

Residents of Nuoc Dop residential areas harvested the noodles and waited many days for traders to come and buy them. Photo: Th. Nhi

In Nuoc Dop, the medium voltage poles rise high, the wire is ready, but waiting to complete some procedures before it can be energized and supplied to households. Because it is too difficult when the life has no electricity, the people of Nuoc Dop residential area pay their own money to buy wires and pull electricity thanks to acquaintances from other KDC. Long distance, small wires, weak electricity, electric lights creeping not much brighter than kerosene lamps. “I hope to have electricity to light up for my children to study, watch television and listen to the radio to enjoy. Now I use electricity thanks to the time I lose. I don’t have electricity in my village,” said the village elder, Dinh Van Xon.

Because pulling electricity far away, the cost of pulling electricity back to the village is up to 4-5 million VND. Someone has to borrow hot money to get money to pull electricity. The electric lines like forest wires tangled in the pillars are actually dry acacia tops, low and low, with a section just at the knee. “I know that it is not allowed to connect electricity like that, but the family needs electricity very much before having to do so. I only hope that electricity can be brought back to the people on a large pole, a large wire for people to be assured to use. With electricity, a new life will be required. less suffering “, Ms. Dinh Thi Un confided.

It is difficult to pull electricity back to Nuoc Dop residential area because partly there is no road. When implementing road investment here, the district has planned to implement the road in parallel. However, the road project just kept sluggish and electricity so was also slow to follow.

When will the promise come true?

The day we got back to Dop, it was on the day when a truck came to buy noodles for the people. Dozens of households in Dop were very happy. Before Tet, the constant rain and flood, the noodles were left on the field. After Tet, when it was sunny, people harvested, bagged, carried them down the road, sent people to the center of Son Tay district to call people to buy. 3 days new car appointment The whole village rushed to pick it up, put the noodles in the car, laughed loudly. There are many people who divide the money to sell noodles into each item: pay for electricity, buy rice, give their children money to go to the district to go to boarding school, buy acacia seed to grow … All essential expenses of life. “Luckily, we can sell noodles, but if we can’t sell, we go” hot “to take care of our family but know how,” said Dinh Thi Xang.

The people of Nuoc Dop residential area plant and care for the areca tree. Photo: Th. Nhi

Also because there is no sugar, the agricultural products in Dop are sold at a much cheaper price than other places. Currently, the purchasing price of Acacia wood here is only about 600-700 thousand VND, which is about 200,000 VND / ton cheaper than the convenient roads. Difficult, low income, but here people do not have side jobs. Chairman of Son Long Commune People’s Committee Do Thanh Qua said: All households in Nuoc Dop are poor. In recent years, life has been more difficult due to the fall in agricultural prices. There are times when there are storms, traffic is divided, agricultural products cannot be sold. The commune hopes that the superiors will quickly build the road and bring electricity back to Nuoc Dop residential area so that the people can improve their living conditions and gradually reduce poverty “.

Now Dop is in a raging season for acacia cultivation. On the green acacia hills, groups of 5-10 people work hard to clean up. In Nuoc Dop, people still keep the same “rhyme” as in the past. Every family has important work, everyone in the village who is free will come to help. They help each other as wholeheartedly as family members. Therefore, despite the difficult life, the roads are back, electricity has not come back forever, but no one left the village to go elsewhere. The special thing is that the village has no evils of gambling, theft … And for many years, they have been united, sharing with all difficulties of the government, the investor of Dakdrinh hydroelectricity and patiently. waiting for a promise …