The recent water discharge by a Chinese hydropower dam on the Hong (Red) River will not have much impact on Vietnam, according to Nguyen Duc Quang, director of the Agency for Disaster Response and Relief (ADRR) under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Madushan Dam on the Hong River in China’s Yunnan Province released water on August 20 following days of torrential rain caused by Storm Higos, according to the ADRR.

The Hong River flows through northern Vietnam before discharging into the Gulf of Tonkin.

The release raised the water level on the Hong River in the northern Lao Cai Province by 0.88 meters to 80.55 meters at 5:00 am on Friday.

“It is expected that in the coming weeks, complicated rain and flood situations will cause such water discharges to repeat,” Quang said.

According to the official, China and Vietnam have no formal treaties on sharing information regarding dam discharges.

Alerts for any changes in the river’s water level are currently provided by five monitoring stations near the Vietnam-China border on a thrice-a-day basis, he added.

“We judge whether [the Chinese side] has discharged water [from its dams] or not based on information from these five monitoring stations,” Quang said.

“Of course, if the parties involved could be more open in sharing about their water discharge plans, we would be more proactive in our [disaster] response and directions,” he added.

As a response to the water discharge from China, the ADRR has requested that the northern provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho take preventive measures to ensure the safety of residential areas, transport activities and dike systems, Quang said.

It is forecast that risks of flash floods and landslides remain high in mountainous northern provinces, including Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, and Tuyen Quang in the coming days due to heavy rain.

There is also a risk of local inundations in riverside and urban areas in Lao Cai and Yen Bai.

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