On the morning of April 16th, in Muong La district, Son La province, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province, and the OfficeJICAVietnam co-organized the inauguration ceremony of the Sabo pilot dam in the Nam Pam river basin.

This is the first Sabo dam project built in Vietnam, within the scope of the Technical Cooperation Project on enhancing risk mitigation capacity.flash floods and landslidesin the northern mountainous region (Project) funded by JICA.

Sabo dams are a highly effective engineering solution applied in Japan and many other countries around the world. They are typically built upstream of rivers with steep slopes and high flow rates, helping to retain sediment, rocks, and driftwood, and preventing damage downstream.

Delegates cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Sabo dam in the Nam Pam basin. (Photo: THE DOAN)

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control, said that the Sabo dam project in the Nam Pam stream basin, Muong La district, can be considered a "visual model," a pilot project designed and built according to Japanese standards.

This project is expected to be effective in protecting 28 households, a kindergarten, and a cultural center on the left bank downstream of the dam. However, according to Mr. Son, because it is only a pilot dam, built individually on a small scale, the Sabo dam will certainly find it difficult to fully realize its potential.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has proposed that the Japanese government continue to support Vietnam in building a comprehensive Sabo dam system in the Nam Pam stream basin. This dam system could become a model for Vietnam to assess its effectiveness, and from there, consider mobilizing resources to invest in replicating the Sabo dam project in other areas with similar risks," said Deputy Director Nguyen Truong Son.

Mr. Kobayashi Yosuke, Chief Representative of JICA in Vietnam, and Mr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention, stretch a sea flag to share information about the Sabo Dam. (Photo: THE DOAN)

Mr. Kobayashi Yosuke, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam, emphasized that today's inauguration ceremony of the Sabo Dam marks a new milestone in cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in mitigating the risks of landslides and flash floods.

Given that a single Sabo dam cannot effectively reduce mudslides, Mr. Yosuke hopes that the pilot dam construction in Son La province will serve as a reference for the Vietnamese government to develop technical standards for constructing Sabo dams in the Nam Pam basin and other high-risk areas.

According to expert reports, Son La was one of the provinces most severely affected among the 14 northern mountainous provinces during the period from 2007 to 2020. In particular, landslides and flash floods in 2017 and 2024 caused significant damage to both people and property in the area. Therefore, Son La was selected by JICA as one of the key provinces for implementing pilot activities of the Project.

The scene after the flash flood in Nặm Păm, Mường La, Sơn La in 2017.

The Sabo Dam in the Nặm Păm stream basin began construction in September 2024 after the rainy season in Sơn La province and was completed after nearly 7 months of construction at a total cost of approximately 55 million yen (nearly 10 billion VND). The dam was built according to Japanese standards, a gap-separated concrete dam with a length of 61m, a width of 3m at the crest, and a height of 9m.

The construction process includes checking and verifying the foundation condition, excavation, concrete pouring, slope protection, and backfilling. The quality of the dam is controlled through continuous slump tests and concrete strength tests at the construction site.

Ms. Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province, said that the pilot construction of the engineering solution (Sabo dam) is of paramount importance, marking a new step forward in disaster prevention and control, protecting the lives and property of the people of Son La province.

After the project is completed, the Department of Agriculture and Environment will take the lead and coordinate with relevant specialized agencies to organize the acceptance of assets resulting from the project; allocate human resources and funds for the management, exploitation, operation, maintenance, and upkeep of the facilities.

To more effectively control silt and sand floods in the Nam Pam basin, the Department of Agriculture and Environment requests the Japanese Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to consider investing in the completion of the 12 dams planned in Output 3 of the Project. Simultaneously, it requests the development of standards, procedures, and regulations for the construction of Sabo dams in Vietnam.