Inauguration of the first Sabo Dam in Vietnam according to Japanese standards
The first Sabo Dam in Vietnam built according to Japanese standards to help reduce the risk of flash floods was inaugurated on the morning of April 16 in Son La.
Sabo Dam is one of the most effective construction solutions, often built upstream of rivers with large slopes and high flow speeds; helping to retain mud, rocks, and driftwood and prevent damage in downstream areas. The dam was officially built in September 2024 after the rainy season in Pie village, Nam Pam commune, Muong La district, Son La province.
This project is part of the Technical Cooperation Project on Improving the Capacity to Minimize the Risk of flash floods and landslides in the Northern mountainous areas, co-organized by the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province, and the Vietnam Office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The first Sabo dam according to Japanese standards in Vietnam is an open concrete dam with a length of 61m, a width of 3m at the top of the dam, and a height of 9m. Mr. Kobayashi Yosuke, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam, said that the Sabo Dam project can collect the sediment of floodwaters containing mud, rocks, and driftwood and prevent damage in the downstream area, not only for the local residential area near the dam, but also for the town of It Ong.
However, a single Sabo dam cannot effectively reduce the flow of mud and rocks. Mr. Kobayashi hopes that the pilot construction of Sabo Dam in Son La province will be a reference example for the Vietnamese Government to develop technical standards for the construction of other Sabo dams in Nam Pham basin and other high-risk areas.
Mr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) emphasized that the Sabo dam project to prevent and combat floods, mud and rock in the Nam Pham stream basin is expected to be effective, contributing to the protection of 28 households, 1 kindergarten, 1 cultural house on the left bank downstream of the dam.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has proposed that the Japanese Government continue to support Vietnam in synchronously building the Sabo Dam system in the Nam Pham River basin. If invested in synchronous construction, this dam system can become a model for Vietnam to evaluate its effectiveness, thereby considering and mobilizing resources to expand the Sabo dam project in other areas with similar risks.
For her part, Ms. Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province, said that the construction of a Sabo dam only contributes to the capture of a small amount of sediment in the basin, accounting for 8% of the total amount of mud and sand flowing into the basin, so it is not possible to completely control the mud and sand floods in the Nam Pham stream basin. The Department of Agriculture and Environment has proposed that the Japanese Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment pay attention to investing in completing 12 dams that have been established according to the project plan.
Ms. Hang emphasized that the inauguration ceremony of the Sabo Dam project is not only a mark of the completion of an important project, but also a symbol of the good and sustainable cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Japan in general, between Son La province and JICA in particular.
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