While the Minister of Industry and Trade defended hydro power plants, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment confirmed that there is a problem with their operation.

Speaking to the National Assembly on November 22 about the water discharged by hydro power plants in the central region, Minister Pham Khoi Nguyen confirmed that the flood was mainly caused by climate change.

He said thatthe total rainfall in Ninh Thuan province in the seven days between October 29 to November 5 was equivalent to usual the annual rainfall. In Nha Trang city, the rainfall in four days was also equivalent to the whole year. The total rainfall in Ninh Thuan on November 1 accounted for 42 percent of the whole year.

Nguyen said the government approved the 2008 national program on coping with climate change. Provinces and ministries have also designed their own programs

He asked the National Assembly to meet as soon as possible to listen to the government’s report on climate change and proposed solutions.

Besides climate change, Minister Nguyen pointed out three other reasons: deforestation, problematic operation of hydro-power reservoirs and the country’s hydro-power development planning.

He said the three reasons are closely connected. Large forest areas were destroyed to build some hydro power plants. Investors committed to re-planting of woods but they do so very slowly.

The Minister affirmed that there is a problem with the operation of hydro-power plants. Prior to October 2008, only four big plants, including Thac Ba, Hoa Binh, Son La and Tuyen Quang,had their own operating procedures, which guarantee the safety for the downstream. Other plants didn’t have rules on this aspect of operation and instead focused on guaranteeing the safety for their reservoirs and their generation of power.

Nguyen proposed to reconsider the national hydro-power development plan to take into consideration the climate change.

Earlier, Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang’s answers didn’t satisfy the deputies.

Deputy Dang Thi My Huong from Tay Ninh province asked Hoang to answer constituents’ question ofwhether hydro-power reservoirs’ water discharge made floods more acute in the central Vietnam.

Hoang only had a generic answer saying: “I’ve not had any answer that would confirm that small hydro power plants have no relation to the recent floods”.

However, he said that perhaps small hydro power plants were part of the reason for the floods and plant managers have to take responsibility.

He said the hydro-power plant development plan was checked. Projects that claim large areas of forest, of which there are 38, will be canceled .

PV