The Prime Minister has approved the content of a project on rehabilitation and safety improvement for dams which is to seek official development assistance (ODA) loans from the World Bank.
The project will run from 2016-2022, costing 443 million USD, including 415 million USD in ODA and the remaining from the State budget.
With three components, it aims to support the implementation of a government programme on reservoir safety by improving the safety of prioritised dams and reservoirs as well as to protect downstream communities.
Thirty-five localities across the country will benefit from both the reservoir programme and the dam safety project.
Under the project, 450 dams at high risk of breakdown will be repaired while 718 reservoirs will be equipped with monitoring and flood warning devices. A national database on dam safety management will be upgraded, making it easier for data sharing among relevant units.
The scheme aims to ensure water supply for nearly 4.1 million people and 182,000ha of agricultural land.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was assigned to approve a feasibility report, to be used as reference for negotiations with the WB on financial assistance for the project.-VNA