Steel pipes carry water across the Vam Co Dong River

To bring water from Dau Tieng lake 50 km away to irrigate 17,000 hectares in the border area, Tay Ninh installed a giant steel pipe to bring water across the Vam Co Dong River.

The pipeline project across the river is part of the Irrigation project in the western area of Vam Co Dong River, bringing water from Dau Tieng Lake to serve irrigation for nearly 17,000 hectares in service of public production and agriculture in the two border districts of Chau Thanh, Ben Cau.

In addition to the water pipeline across the river, the project includes a water diversion canal nearly 17 km long, a main irrigation canal 29 km, and a primary canal of over 71 km. On the canals, there are also works such as aqueducts, sluices across the road, culverts through the canals, regulating sluices, water intake culverts, overflow at the end of the canals…

The section carrying water across the Vam Co Dong river is 2.3 km long, the structure is made of steel pipes placed on steel trusses, with reinforced concrete pillars.

The project was started in 2018 with a total investment of more than 1,200 billion VND from central and local capital.

Workers weld steel pipes together before they cross the Vam Co Dong river, each pipe has a diameter of 2.4 m. Photo: Huynh Dong

At the river crossing position with a navigable aperture of 30 m, a static height of 6 m, the structure is a steel pipe placed on a steel truss.

On both sides of the water pipe is a bridge for people’s livelihood to serve the management and people traveling by motorbike, bicycle and pedestrian of Hao Duoc and Hoa Hoi communes of Chau Thanh district.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Xuan, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tay Ninh province, said that the first phase of the project has been completed 95%, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. When the project is completed, it promises a breakthrough change for local agriculture, especially the land west of the Vam Co Dong river.

To serve irrigation, the sections leading to the branch canal have water regulating valves.

The project water is taken from the bed of Dau Tieng lake (more than 15 km from Ba Den mountain) through the West canal, from there to the upgraded old TN21 canal.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tay Ninh province, so far, the source of water used for production and daily life in the west of this province has mainly relied on the Vam Co Dong river by unstable pumping stations. The cost is high, so it cannot meet the demand.

From the West canal, water will be led through the old TN21 canal, upgraded with a trapezoidal shape, when reaching Hao Duoc commune, it will flow through a rectangular overhead aqueduct before connecting to a steel pipe crossing the Vam Co Dong river.

The aqueduct is built on high, passing through Hao Duoc commune, Chau Thanh district.

From the overhead aqueduct, people will install their own water pipes to get water to irrigate crops.

Mr. Phan Van Chau (Hao Duoc commune) pumps water from the reserve cellar to irrigate his family’s 3 sao of rice. “People expect the project to be put into use to have water for irrigation, but for many years now, in the dry season, there is often a serious shortage of water,” he said.

A section of canal leading water through Hoa Hoi forest, Chau Thanh district is in the process of being completed.

Phase 2 of the project will concretize the main canal route through the communes of Hoa Hoi, Thanh Long, Ninh Dien (Chau Thanh district) and Long Phuoc (Ben Cau district), expected to be completed by 2024.