The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is investigating the operation of a hydropower plant that has caused landslides and damage to surrounding houses in Lao Cai Province.
Phuc Long Hydropower Plant in Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province is blamed for causing house damage and landslide
According to deputy head of the ministry's Water Resource Management Department, Nguyen Minh Khuyen, they have asked the investor of Phuc Long Hydropower Plant in Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province to send reports on the operation of the plant.
"We have received complaints from residents living around the Phuc Long Hydropower Plant about their houses and gardens and farmland suffering from subsidence after the plant went into operation," the official said. "They blamed the water stored at the plant's reservoirs for the problems."
Khuyen said that the plant's investor will have to send a report on the situation by the end of this week.
The VND 750 billion (USD 32.60 million) Phuc Long Hydropower Plant was built on the Chay River. The plant is designed to generate 87.81 million kWh a year.
Since the plant was put into trial operation in April 2021, many local residents have sent complaints to authorities and the media about their houses and farmlands facing damages and subsidence.
A report by the Bao Yen District People's Committee said that a total of 170 households have been affected by the project.