Desperate plea from the flood zone: Irrigation system torn apart

A night of terror as the dike gave way

The recent storm system tore through dozens of irrigation facilities in this region, from medium and large-scale structures managed by the Binh Dinh Water Resources Exploitation Company to smaller works overseen by local authorities. Yet what residents remember most is not the broken canals or damaged reservoirs, it is the sound of the dikes giving way in the darkness.

In Tuy Phuoc Commune, Gia Lai, three separate dike sections failed during the height of the flood. The most dangerous breach occurred along the Ha Thanh River flood-prevention dike in Luat Le village, triggering panic among thousands of households in Luat Le, Van Hoi 1, and Van Hoi 2.

Mr. Le Kim Hieu (born 1967) in Van Hoi 1 lives only a few meters from the section that collapsed in the early morning of November 20. Days later, on November 25, his face still carried the shock as he recalled the moment disaster struck.

“The Ha Thanh River overtopped the Luat Le dike at about 4 a.m.,” he said. “By 6 a.m., it burst open. The water came roaring into the village with unbelievable force.”

Within minutes, the water rose above head height inside his home. He was fortunate, having earlier moved belongings to his mezzanine floor. Many of his neighbors were not. Their furniture, appliances, and stored goods were swept away in an instant.

Mr. Hieu said some residents underestimated the risk. “People thought the dike was strong enough to withstand anything, so they didn’t take the warnings seriously.”

His wife, Ms. Ha Thi Kim Nga, added: “The state built this dike in 2010. Even the big flood in 2013 didn’t reach the crest. But this year the water was overwhelming. The dike couldn’t hold.”

Several kilometers away, homes in Van Hoi 2, near the Dieu Tri train station, still sat half a meter deep in muddy water after the flood. Machinery was ruined, appliances were destroyed, and small shop owners hauled truckloads of drenched merchandise to the dump. The financial losses, residents said, were “impossible to count.”

Mr. Trinh Van Dong, an official from the Tuy Phuoc Commune People’s Committee, said 70 officers and soldiers from the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade 573 (Military Region 5) were mobilized as soon as the water receded. “We immediately reinforced the breach with excavators and sandbags to prevent the Ha Thanh River from overtopping again,” he said.

The Luat Le breach alone spans 100 meters. Adjacent sections, though intact, are heavily weakened and require urgent reinforcement. Provincial leaders have visited multiple times to inspect the site and plan permanent repairs.

A chain of broken canals and battered reservoirs

Downstream, the Song Cat River flood-prevention dike, a branch of the Ha Thanh, suffered a 50-meter rupture. Though smaller in length, the floodwater scoured a trench two to three meters deep, accelerating the surge into nearby homes. On November 25, 35 soldiers from Brigade 573 and an excavator crew were still working to stabilize the damaged section.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Nguyet (42), from Team 3 of Luat Le village, lives directly between the two breached dikes and described the moment the water arrived. “The Luat Le dike broke first, then the Song Cat dike. Our area was caught between them. The water shot in unbelievably fast. Within moments it hit the false ceiling.”

Her stored rice was soaked. She spent days trying to salvage it, spreading it on floors, drying it with fans, and finally laying it out in her neighbor’s yard when the sun returned. “But it's all sprouted,” she said. “A bag that normally sells for 400,000 VND now only sells for 80,000 VND to duck farmers.”

In Phong Tan village, the Bo Nhi dike also ruptured. The breach did not threaten homes but caused extensive scouring and silting across rice fields.

Major headworks managed by the Binh Dinh Water Resources Exploitation Company suffered significant damage as well. The Nui Mot reservoir in An Nhon Tay Commune experienced landslides along the downstream spillway. The Ha Thanh River diversion weirs, inaugurated just in April 2024 to supply domestic water for tens of thousands were unable to withstand the torrent; all three sustained severe erosion on their downstream revetments.

The Bay Yen Dam in Binh Dinh Ward saw the collapse of its right downstream abutment. The Hon Lap reservoir in Vinh Thinh Commune experienced rock-face spalling and upstream-slope erosion. Even the Dong Mit reservoir in An Vinh Commune, a major structure inaugurated in February 2023, saw rock-gabion erosion along the left downstream shoulder of its spillway.

The canal system, largely running through fields with no protection from the current, was devastated. The N2-3 canal of the Nui Mot reservoir was cut open in places. Its main canal line suffered landslides and heavy silting. The Vinh Thanh main canal at Km10+313 collapsed and fractured. The N1-3-4 canal of the Thuan Ninh reservoir fractured. The main canal of the Van Phong diversion weir, running through Binh An, Binh Hiep, Hoa Hoi, Phu Cat, and Xuan An communes, suffered similar damage.

Much of the system remains underwater, and officials warn that more damage will become visible in the days ahead.

Mr. Do Nguyen Si, Director of the Binh Dinh Water Resources Exploitation Company, said full assessment is still impossible. “Many structures and canals are still submerged,” he noted. “But initial losses are already estimated at around 20 billion VND.”

The company has submitted a preliminary report to the Department of Agriculture and Environment and the Gia Lai Department of Finance, requesting emergency funding to carry out repairs.

“This support is critical,” Mr. Do said, “so we can restore the system in time for the upcoming winter-spring crop.”