Urgent telegram on focusing on responding to heavy rain in the midland and mountainous areas of the North

Accordingly, from the evening of June 20 to 22, in the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, there was heavy to very heavy rain, especially in Thai Nguyen, there was heavy rain with rainfall from 150-250mm, some monitoring stations recorded very heavy rainfall such as: Gia Bay (Thai Nguyen) 312mm, Cuc Duong (Thai Nguyen) 305mm. Heavy rain, rapid flood of Cau River caused local flooding, especially in urban areas in many localities such as Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, especially in Thai Nguyen province (severe flooding occurred along Cau River and urban areas of Thai Nguyen, Pho Yen); floods killed 02 people due to flash floods and landslides, many houses and agricultural production areas were affected by flooding.

According to the forecast of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, heavy rain may continue to occur in the mountainous and midland provinces of the North, floods on the Cau River in Thai Nguyen may peak above alert level 3. There is a very high risk of deep flooding in low-lying areas, landslides, and flash floods in the midland and mountainous provinces of the North.

To proactively respond to heavy rains, risks of floods, landslides, flash floods, ensure the safety of people's lives, limit damage to people's and State's property, and implement Official Dispatch No. 94/CD-TTg dated June 22, 2025 of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Industry and Trade requests units in the industry and trade sector to focus on implementing the following key tasks:

1. General tasks of units

- Focus on resolutely, seriously and effectively implementing the Prime Minister's direction in Directive No. 19/CT-TTg dated June 19, 2025 on strengthening the work of preventing, combating and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, and at the same time implementing measures to respond to floods, landslides, flash floods and inundations.

- Organize on-duty shifts, closely monitor developments, forecast, warn, and promptly inform people about floods, storms, and natural disasters so that they can proactively respond and ensure safety.

- Coordinate with local authorities to disseminate and instruct people on measures and skills to prevent and combat natural disasters, especially floods, landslides, and flash floods.

2. Department of Industry and Trade of provinces and cities

- According to the assigned functions and tasks of state management, proactively direct the work of flood prevention and control for the field of Industry and Trade in the area under management, paying special attention to directing the work of ensuring safety for production, safety of dams, hydroelectric reservoirs, and power supply infrastructure systems.

- Promptly advise the Provincial People's Committee to direct investors of industrial projects, especially hydropower and mineral exploitation projects under construction in areas at risk of flash floods and landslides to temporarily stop construction, have plans to relocate workers, machinery, materials and equipment to safe places, and ensure uninterrupted communication to serve incident response, natural disasters and search and rescue.

- Urgently review deeply flooded areas along rivers and streams, areas at risk of flash floods, landslides, areas at risk of being cut off and isolated to promptly have specific plans for stockpiling goods, ensuring the supply of essential goods, especially food, drinking water, and necessities to serve the people, especially households in cut off and isolated areas. Do not let there be a shortage of essential goods to serve the people.

3. Vietnam Electricity Group

- Direct local power units and hydropower dam owners under their management to prepare sufficient human resources, materials, means, and logistics according to the "4 on-site" principle to respond to the developments of floods and storms, strengthen inspection and self-inspection of power grid projects and hydropower dams to ensure safe and stable power supply, especially for important loads, and prepare all plans to restore power as soon as possible to areas affected by floods and storms.

- Direct units managing and operating hydropower projects under their management to fully implement the requirements in this Official Dispatch.

- Coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade to direct and inspect the implementation of measures to ensure dam safety, especially for weak dams, small hydropower plants or those under construction or repair; the operation of hydropower reservoirs to ensure construction safety, downstream safety in accordance with the development of rain and floods, ensuring absolute safety for large hydropower projects on the Red River system.

4. National Electricity System and Market Operation Company

- Closely coordinate with units managing and operating hydroelectric reservoirs to update the actual hydrological situation, flood situation and requirements of competent authorities, ensuring power generation efficiency; plan to regulate hydroelectric reservoirs to ensure compliance with inter-reservoir and single-reservoir operating procedures and instructions of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee, Disaster Prevention and Control Command Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities.

- Coordinate with relevant units to optimize the operation mode of the power plant and grid, limit the risks of grid failures and generator failures.

- Regularly check the emergency response system, self-contained power source, SCADA system and communication to be ready to respond to the operation of the power system and electricity market in all natural disaster situations.

5. Hydroelectric dam owners

- Strictly comply with the operating procedures of inter-reservoirs and single hydroelectric reservoirs approved by competent authorities, especially when unusual situations arise; operate scientifically, ensure absolute safety for the project, prevent artificial floods, contribute to flood reduction downstream, and pay attention to notify people early before operating flood regulation.

- Regularly check and evaluate the status of dams; equipment, flood discharge works, water intake gates... and promptly fix defects (if any); prepare adequate resources, equipment, means, and spare materials to promptly fix incidents and damages caused by natural disasters in the fastest time.

- Review and install monitoring, tracking, supervision systems, provide data to competent authorities according to regulations; review the warning information system for people in downstream areas when releasing floodwaters, ensuring stable operations in all natural disaster situations. Closely coordinate with the Civil Defense Command Committee, local authorities at all levels in the area affected by the project, including information work on flood regulation and flood discharge warnings to avoid unfortunate damage.

Requesting units of the Industry and Trade sector to focus on directing and strictly implementing this Official Dispatch, preparing forces, means and equipment to promptly respond to the complicated developments of the flood situation in the coming time and participate in rescue when requested; regularly update and report information to the Standing Office of Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Phone: 024.22218310; Fax: 024.22218321. Email: [email protected]).

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/thong-bao/cong-dien-hoa-toc-ve-tap-trung-ung-pho-voi-mua-lon-o-mien-nui-trung-du-bac-bo.html