The Viet Nam Dam Rehabilitation and Safety Improvement Project, which supports the government’s dam safety program, will rehabilitate about 450 irrigation dams that have been prioritized based on their age and degraded condition.
This will help 2.7 million people who rely on the dams for agriculture production, aquaculture and water supply as well as 4.1 million people and economic assets downstream that are at risk in the event of a dam failure.
The World Bank Country Director for Viet Nam Victoria Kwakwa said we are pleased to support the Government’s dam safety program with financing for this critical rehabilitation project. Failure to secure the safety of these dams poses a serious risk to human safety and economic resilience. This project will help protect the safety and livelihoods of the 6.8 million people who rely on these dams.
In addition to the dam rehabilitation, the project will endorse the Vietnamese Government to implement a sustainable framework for ensuring dam safety across the portfolio of dams.
The country has one of the largest networks of dams and hydraulic infrastructure in the world, alongside China and the United States.
This network comprises over 7,000 dams of different types and sizes that make a substantial contribution to the country’s development. This is particularly true in rural areas where 70 to 80% of the population earns a living through agriculture.
Source: chinhphu.vn