Ia Prat Reservoir: A project built on public consensus

A project aligning with public desires

The Ia Prat reservoir project is being deployed in Ia Khuol commune, Gia Lai Province. The project is invested by the Gia Lai provincial construction investment project management board, with a total investment of 100 billion VND sourced from the central budget.

According to the design, the Ia Prat reservoir has an active capacity of approximately 1.7 million cubic meters and is executed during the 2024-2027 period. The main components of the project include an earthen dam, a spillway, an intake culvert, a water supply pipeline system, auxiliary works, and a transport system serving management, operation, and local agricultural production.

Mr. Pham Minh Chau, chairman of the Ia Khuol commune People's Committee, stated: “The majority of villagers in the commune earn their income from agricultural production, with the main crops being wet rice, coffee, and smallholder rubber.”

While agriculture provides their primary income, Mr. Chau noted that previously, farmers could not secure proactive irrigation water sources. Consequently, facing drought years and crop failures meant losing everything.

“Once completed and put into operation, the Ia Prat reservoir project will help villagers secure proactive irrigation water. Accordingly, it will secure sufficient irrigation water for around 220 hectares of crops, including 120 hectares of wet rice and crops, and 100 hectares of long-term industrial trees in the commune,” the chairman added.

The family of Mr. K’sor Man in Kach village, Ia Khuol commune, is cultivating over 0.2 hectares of wet rice and 0.5 hectares of coffee. He shared that during years with prolonged hot weather, his family's crop area as well as that of other villagers frequently suffered from water shortages. People had to share scarce drops of water from drying ponds, lakes, and streams, or even spend money to dig wells. This drove production costs up, yet efficiency barely improved.

“Having an irrigation work in the commune will help villagers become more proactive in agricultural production. When the project is completed and supplies water, people will no longer worry about water shortages. Everyone was happy upon hearing that an irrigation work was being deployed in the commune,” Mr. K’sor Man shared.

According to Mr. Ro Cham Yur, party cell secretary and head of Kach village: “Hearing news about the groundbreaking of the Ia Prat reservoir project in the commune, everyone in the village was delighted. They know that when completed, it will provide a stable irrigation source, making agricultural production smoother and avoiding previous risks. This project truly aligns with public desires.”

Securing high public consensus

Immediately after the Gia Lai provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 2649/QD-UBND on November 18, 2025, approving adjustments to the Ia Prat reservoir project, Ia Khuol commune urgently coordinated with specialized agencies to deploy land counting, verify land origins, and build compensation plans. Concurrently, they organized communication campaigns to mobilize residents in the project area to actively cooperate with and support local authorities and the construction unit to ensure on-schedule deployment. The total land area cleared for the project is approximately 30 hectares, with compensation and support funding exceeding 38.6 billion VND.

“Thanks to effective communication and mobilization, the project received high consensus from the people. Accordingly, villagers within the project zone voluntarily dismantled civil structures and cleared crops on their land to hand over the site early, helping the project stay on schedule. Up to the present, the project has not encountered any major difficulties or obstacles. The locality has completed handing over 100% of the site to the investor,” shared Mr. Pham Minh Chau, chairman of the Ia Khuol commune People's Committee.

As a project that aligns with public desires, it received strong support from residents. The family of Mr. Ro Cham Yur had nearly 0.24 hectares of cultivated land within the affected area, which they cleared and handed over right from the initial days of project deployment. “Villagers understand that for the common benefit of the community and the long-term development of the locality, households with affected land were happy to clear and hand over their land early. This project received very high consensus from the villagers,” Mr. Ro Cham Yur said.

Thanks to this consensus, after just over three months of deployment, 210 households and individuals with affected land quickly agreed with the compensation plans. Mr. Pham Dinh Thanh, director of the Ia Prat reservoir project, stated: “Upon receiving 100% of the site handover, the construction unit commenced synchronized implementation of key components, including the earthen dam, the water supply pipeline system, and the transport system on schedule.”

According to the project blueprint, besides serving agricultural production, the work contributes to improving the ecological environment, creating landscapes, and opening up potential for experiential and agritourism linked with local agricultural production in the future.

“This is a work that local people have longed for over many years. In addition to 'quenching the thirst' for crop areas during the dry season, the project enables residents to have more choices, heading toward converting low-efficiency crop areas into long-term trees and fruit trees that bring higher economic benefits,” Mr. Pham Minh Chau concluded.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Ia Khươl commune, Mr. Pham Minh Chau: “The consensus of the people in the land clearance work has created favorable conditions for the Ia Prat reservoir project to officially commence construction. The completed project will contribute to ensuring irrigation water, improving agricultural production efficiency, and promoting the local economy.”

$ 1 = 26,448 VND (source: Vietcombank).