Minimum competence and qualification requirements of entities and persons operating and managing dams and reservoirs in Vietnam

What is an irrigation project?

According to Clause 3, Article 2 of the Law on Irrigation 2017, irrigation water work or facility (irrigation project) is defined as a water infrastructure engineering project, including dams, reservoirs, sluice gates, pumping stations, water channeling, diversion and transfer systems, levees, dykes or embankments, and other structures for irrigation water management, exploitation and operation purposes.

Minimum competence and qualification requirements of entities and persons operating and managing dams and reservoirs in Vietnam (Internet image)

Minimum competence and qualification requirements of entities and persons operating and managing dams and reservoirs in Vietnam

Minimum competence and qualification requirements of entities and persons operating and managing dams and reservoirs in Vietnam are specified in Decree 67/2018/ND-CP (amended in Decree 40/2023/ND-CP effective as of August 15, 2023) as follows:

(1) Special important dams and reservoirs: arrange for at least 07 engineers specializing in irrigation, of whom at least 2 have seniority in managing and exploiting dams and reservoirs for 5 years or more and must receive professional training and retraining in the management and exploitation of dams and reservoirs.

(2) Large dams and reservoirs:

- Dams and reservoirs with a storage capacity of 50,000,000 m3 or more: arrange at least 05 engineers specialized in irrigation, of whom at least 02 have seniority in managing and operating dams and reservoirs for 5 years or more and must receive professional training and retraining in the management and exploitation of dams and reservoirs;

- Dams and reservoirs with storage capacities ranging from 10,000,000 m3 to less than 50,000,000 m3: arrange at least 03 engineers specializing in irrigation, of whom at least 1 has seniority in managing and operating dams and reservoirs for 5 years or more and must receive professional training and retraining in the management and exploitation of dams and reservoirs;

- The remaining large dams and reservoirs, except for the large dams and reservoirs specified at Points a and b of this Clause: must be arranged by at least two engineers specializing in irrigation who must be professionally trained in the management and exploitation of dams and reservoirs.

(3) Medium dams and reservoirs:

- Dams and reservoirs with storage capacities ranging from 1,000,000 m3 to less than 3,000,000 m3: Exploiting organizations and individuals must have at least 01 engineer specialized in irrigation and must receive professional training and retraining in the management and exploitation of dams and reservoirs;

- Remaining dams and reservoirs, except for dams and reservoirs specified at Point a of this Clause: Exploiting organizations and individuals must have at least 01 college specializing in irrigation and must receive professional training and retraining in the management and exploitation of dams and reservoirs.

(4) Small dams and reservoirs: Exploiting organizations and individuals must have at least 01 person with a high school diploma or a worker of grade 2 or higher and must receive professional training and retraining in the management and exploitation of dams and reservoirs.

Regulations on classification of irrigation projects in Vietnam

The classification of irrigation projects in Vietnam specified in Clause 2, Article 16 of the Law on Irrigation 2017 are specifically classified as follows:

(1) Dams and water reservoirs are classified according to the provisions of Article 3 of Decree 114/2018/ND-CP on the safe management of dams and water reservoirs.

(2) Drainage pumping station, combined irrigation pumping station:

- Large pumping station is a pumping station with a total flow of 72,000 m3/h or more;

- The pumping station is both a pumping station with a total flow from 3,600 m3/h to less than 72,000 m3/h;

- Small pumping station is a pumping station with a total flow of less than 3,600 m3/h.

(3) Irrigation pumping station:

- Large pumping station is a pumping station with a total flow of 12,000 m3/h or more;

- The pumping station is both a pumping station with a total flow of from 2,000 m3/h to less than 12,000 m3/h;

- Small pumping station is a pumping station with a total flow of less than 2,000 m3/h.

(4) Sewer:

- Large sluice is a culvert with a total width of water clearance:

+ For the Mekong River Delta from 20 m or more;

+ For the remaining area of 10 m or more.

- Medium sluice is a culvert with a total width of water clearance:

+ For the Mekong River Delta, from 3 m to under 20 m;

+ For the remaining areas from 1.5 m to less than 10 m.

- Small sluice is a culvert with a total width of water clearance:

+ For the Mekong River Delta area under 3 m;

+ For the remaining areas below 1.5 m.

- For sluice gates through the dam, classified according to the type of dam and reservoir works.

(5) Combined drainage, drainage, and irrigation systems:

- Canals, ditches, canals, tunnels, siphons, and large aqueducts work with the following parameters:

+ For the Mekong River Delta with a flow of 50 m3/s or more or a channel bottom width of 20 m or more;

+ For other areas with a flow of 20 m3/s or more or with a channel bottom width of 10 m or more.

- Canals, ditches, canals, tunnels, siphons, and bridges are both works with the following parameters:

+ For the Mekong River Delta, with the discharge from 3 m3/s to less than 50 m3/s or the width of the canal bottom from 5 m to under 20 m;

+ For other areas with flow from 1.5 m3/s to less than 20 m3/s or channel bottom width from 3 m to less than 10 m.

- Canals, ditches, canals, tunnels, siphons, and small aqueducts work with the following parameters:

+ For the Mekong River Delta with a discharge of less than 3 m3/s or a channel bottom width of less than 5 m;

+ For other areas with flow below 1.5 m3/s or channel bottom width less than 3 m.

(6) Water supply and irrigation system:

- Canals, ditches, canals, tunnels, siphons, and large aqueducts work with the following parameters:

+ For the Mekong River Delta with a discharge of 20 m3/s or more or with a channel bottom width of 10 m or more;

+ For other areas with a flow of 10 m3/s or more or with a channel bottom width of 5 m or more.

- Canals, ditches, canals, tunnels, siphons, and bridges are both works with the following parameters:

+ For the Mekong River Delta with a discharge from 1 m3/s to less than 20 m3/s or the width of the canal bottom from 1 m to under 10 m;

+ For other areas with flow from 0.5 m3/s to less than 10 m3/s or the width of the canal bottom from 0.5 m to under 5 m.

- Canals, ditches, canals, tunnels, siphons, and small aqueducts work with the following parameters:

+ For the Mekong River Delta with a discharge of less than 1 m3/s or a channel bottom width of less than 1 m;

+ For other areas with flow below 0.5 m3/s or channel bottom width less than 0.5 m.

(7) Pipeline:

- Large pipeline is a pipeline with a flow of 1.5 m3/s or more or with an inner diameter of 1,000 mm or more;

- Medium pipe means a pipeline with a flow rate from 0.025 m3/s to less than 1.5 m3/s or with an inner diameter from 100 mm to less than 1,000 mm;

- Small pipeline is a pipeline with a flow rate of less than 0.025 m3/s or with an inner diameter of less than 100 mm.

(8) Irrigation embankment:

- Large embankment is a protective embankment for an area of 10,000 ha or more;

- The embankment is both a protective embankment for an area from 500 ha to less than 10,000 ha;

- Small embankment is a protective embankment for an area of less than 500 ha.

(9) irrigation projects system:

- The system of large irrigation projects is the system that is responsible for irrigating the arable land or draining and draining water for the natural area of 20,000 ha or more;

- The system of irrigation projects is both a system with the task of irrigating arable land or draining and draining water for a natural area from 2,000 ha to less than 20,000 ha;

- System of small irrigation projects is a system that is responsible for irrigating arable land or draining and draining water for a natural area of less than 2,000 ha.

Duong Chau Thanh

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