Inspecting Site Clearance Progress for the Canh Tang Reservoir Pipeline System Project

On May 13, Mr. Dinh Cong Su—Provincial Party Committee Member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee—conducted an inspection of the site clearance progress for the Canh Tang Reservoir Water Pipeline System Construction Project. The delegation included representatives from the Management Board for Investment and Construction of Irrigation Work No. 1 (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), leaders of provincial departments, the Hoa Binh Regional Project Management Board, the Hoa Binh Regional Land Fund Development Center, the Hoa Binh Irrigation Works Exploitation One Member LTD, and the People’s Committees of Yen Phu, Lac Son, Dai Dong, and Nhan Nghia communes.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Dinh Cong Su and the delegation conduct a field inspection and receive progress briefings on the challenges and bottlenecks facing the project.

According to the Hoa Binh Regional Project Management Board, the total investment for the site clearance component of the Canh Tang Reservoir pipeline project exceeds 1,727 billion VND. Out of the 1,662.787 billion VND allocated, 40 billion VND is designated for the 2026 capital plan. To date, cumulative disbursement has reached 1,623.941 billion VND.

While the project has completed and handed over eight resettlement sites, two flood-avoidance roads, and the reservoir bed clearing item, significant site clearance work remains outstanding. For the main headworks and reservoir bed, 780.52 out of 993.94 hectares have been recovered, leaving 213.42 hectares pending. Currently, 506 land plots (over 644,000 $m^2$) lack compensation, primarily in Yen Phu and Nhan Nghia communes, due to delays in approving resettlement land allocations and issuing land-use right certificates.

Regarding the 29km-long water pipeline, 20.517km (70.7%) has been cleared, leaving approximately 8.5km unfinished. The remaining sections are located in Yen Phu (0.2km), Lac Son (0.9km), and most notably, Dai Dong (7.4km). There are still 207 households without finalized clearance plans, with Dai Dong accounting for 147 of them.

According to the Hoa Binh Regional Project Management Board, the project component’s implementation faces numerous difficulties and bottlenecks. The appraisal of resettlement plans and land allocation for the headworks remains unfinished. Additionally, several households have not reached a consensus on the pipeline route due to its direct impact on their residential and production land.

Furthermore, certain agricultural structures exceed the regulated construction quotas and, therefore, do not qualify for full compensation based on their actual value. This has led to a lack of public agreement regarding the support schemes. Currently, approximately 40 utility poles also require relocation to facilitate the construction of the pipeline.

During the inspection, communal representatives urged the Hoa Binh Regional Land Fund Development Center and provincial departments to accelerate the appraisal and approval of resettlement plans to ensure residents can relocate promptly.

Following the field inspection and progress briefing, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Dinh Cong Su requested relevant departments and sectors to coordinate closely with the Hoa Binh Regional Land Fund Development Center and communal People’s Committees. He urged them to urgently finalize the appraisal of resettlement plans and hand over land to residents. Furthermore, he directed the mobilization of additional human resources and the scheduling of overtime to complete compensation plans for the pipeline route and corridors with restricted land-use capacity.

The Vice Chairman also requested the communal People’s Committees to collaborate in verifying land origins and expedite the appraisal, land pricing, and approval of compensation and site clearance plans. Simultaneously, he emphasized strengthening public communication and mobilization to secure consensus for the early handover of “clean” land to construction units.

The Management Board for Investment and Construction of Irrigation Work No. 1 was also requested to urge contractors to accelerate construction in areas where the site has already been cleared.

Manh Hung