Decision No. 58/2006/QĐ-TTg Approves the Investment Program to Consolidate, Protect, and Upgrade Existing Coastal Dikes from Quảng Ninh Province to Quảng Nam Province

Pursuant to …;

Approving the Program for Investment to Strengthen, Protect, and Upgrade Existing Coastal Dikes in Provinces with Dikes from Quang Ninh to Quang Nam

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (document No. 2697/BNN-ĐĐ dated November 8, 2004; No. 2555/BNN-ĐĐ dated October 6, 2005; No. 2784/BNN-ĐĐ dated October 27, 2005; No. 3325/BNN-ĐĐ dated December 26, 2005); the review report of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (document No. 4353 BKH/KTNN dated June 29, 2005; No. 796/BKH-KTNN dated February 9, 2006), the Ministry of Finance (document No. 13830/BTC-ĐT dated November 2, 2005; No. 2368/BTC-ĐT dated February 23, 2006), the Ministry of Transport (document No. 601/BGTVT-KHĐT dated January 26, 2006), the Ministry of Defense (document No. 437/BQP dated January 27, 2006), the Ministry of Fisheries (document No. 251/TS-KHTC dated February 9, 2006), the Ministry of Science and Technology (document No. 256/BKHCN-KHCNN dated February 9, 2006), the Ministry of Justice (document No. 313/TP-PLDSKT dated February 13, 2006), the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control (document No. 07/PCLBTW dated February 6, 2006) and the opinions of relevant localities,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approving the Program for Investment to Strengthen, Protect, and Upgrade Existing Coastal Dikes in Provinces with Dikes from Quang Ninh to Quang Nam with the following main contents:

1. Objectives and guiding principles:

a) Objectives:

- Actively prevent and combat floods and storms, minimize losses caused by natural disasters; create conditions for economic and social development in localities, contributing to ensuring coastal security and national defense;

- Combine the tasks of preventing salinity intrusion, retaining fresh water, combating floods and storms in a reliable and long-term manner with the requirements to fully exploit coastal potential, transform production structures, create jobs, increase income, and contribute to reducing poverty;

- In the long term: build a solid dike system to ensure safety against floods and storms. In the short term, strive to complete the construction of weak sections of dikes by 2010 to protect concentrated populations and important economic areas.

b) Guiding principles:

- The implementation measures of the program must be comprehensive, based on scientific foundations, closely combining engineering solutions with non-engineering solutions, and linked to the planning of resettling coastal residents. Particularly, it is necessary to pay attention to non-engineering solutions such as planting trees to block waves, creating sedimentation beaches, preserving natural sand dunes, existing coastal tree belts, managing and protecting projects after investment;

- Design standards up to 2010 must ensure that the coastal dike system can withstand typhoons of category 9 combined with high tides at a frequency of 5%:

+ For coastal dikes directly protecting concentrated residential areas, they must be designed to ensure safety against typhoons of category 12 with a water level corresponding to a 5% frequency tide;

+ For outer dikes and dikes protecting production and aquaculture, they must be designed to withstand typhoons of category 9 with a water level corresponding to a 5% frequency tide, allowing some wave overtopping but not causing dike failure;

- Implement investment according to the principle of mobilizing funds from various sources, combining central, local, and people's efforts.

2. Contents of the Program include:

a) Regarding the classification of coastal dikes for protection:

Based on the importance of the protected area and the objectives and levels of protection of each dike line, which are consistent with economic and technical conditions and the specific protection classification of each dike line as detailed in the Appendix attached to this Decision.

b) Regarding technical solutions:

- Strengthen and upgrade coastal dike lines and river mouth dikes to form closed dike lines combined with coastal ring roads to protect civilian life, provide a foundation for economic and social development, and ensure coastal security and national defense;

- The minimum width of the dike surface should be from 5.0 meters to 6.0 meters, the dike must be solidly constructed to sufficient height to withstand the designed wind and storm levels (category 9, category 10, residential areas category 12 with a 5% frequency tide level), minimizing the risk of dike failure when storms exceed the design level;

- Plant trees along the dike lines to create mangrove forests to block waves before the coastal dikes, this must be considered a mandatory and resolute measure for all areas where wave-blocking trees can still be planted; simultaneously improve the coastal ecosystem;

- For areas of advancing sea and erosion, study engineering solutions to cut waves and create sedimentation beaches such as building rock revetments, spraying sand to nurture beaches... gradually plant wave-blocking trees to ensure long-term stability;

- For weak dike lines facing the sea directly, construct an additional inner backup dike line to ensure safety for the population and reduce damage when the first line (the direct sea-facing line) fails due to storms exceeding its capacity or wave overtopping;

- Arrange cross roads (fishbone roads) to serve both evacuation routes and emergency dike rescue operations during incidents; these roads will divide the coastal area into independent enclosed zones, thereby reducing the flooded and saline-affected areas and limiting damage when dike incidents occur;

- Study and apply science and technology to reinforce and protect dike and seawall lines and estuary areas, handle erosion, and protect dikes and beaches in accordance with natural and hydrological conditions.

3. Investment Mechanism of the Program:

- The central budget will support localities in implementing the Program in accordance with the State Budget Law. Local budgets must cover costs for compensation, land clearance, and non-engineering solutions;

- Integrate other funding sources for investment such as transportation, coastal defense roads, rural development support, relocation and resettlement programs, and other programs and targets within the locality;

- Additionally, localities must mobilize labor and investment funds from other sources such as using communal labor funds for dike construction and reinforcement work; contributions from enterprises benefiting from the project; and investment funds from transportation works (for dike sections combined with roads);

4. Implementation period of the Program starting from 2006.

Provisionally, the Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to allocate and arrange funds to support localities in handling key projects that are truly urgent, ensuring safety for flood and storm prevention in 2006.

Article 2. Implementation

1. The People's Committees of provinces and cities with sea dikes (from Quang Ninh to Quang Nam) shall be responsible for:

- Acting as the project owner and managing the implementation of investment projects for protecting, reinforcing, and upgrading sea dikes in their respective localities in accordance with current regulations;

- Directing provincial functional agencies to organize the preparation of comprehensive feasibility studies on the renovation, protection, and upgrading of sea dikes. In the short term, directing the preparation and review of detailed project plans for weak areas that require urgent protection to ensure safety and minimize damage during the rainy season and typhoon period;

- Directing and guiding all levels of local authorities to implement the planting and protection of coastal windbreak forests, considering this as a basis for examining and supporting investment;

- Prioritizing and arranging the list of investment projects according to the degree of weakness within their jurisdiction to develop annual investment plans; at the same time, mobilizing local resources in accordance with regulations to implement these plans;

2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall be responsible for:

- Fulfilling state management functions and planning for the renovation and construction of sea dike works in line with production development plans and the overall system of sea dikes;

- Agreeing on technical solutions so that the Provincial People's Committee can approve investment projects, ensuring that the works are implemented in accordance with technical standards, creating conditions for the construction of a synchronized system and applying scientific and technological advancements, ensuring safety and effective investment;

- Studying mechanisms and policies to encourage the planting and protection of coastal windbreak trees in localities;

- Taking the lead and coordinating with the People's Committees of provinces and cities and relevant ministries and sectors to study and build management mechanisms for the maintenance and repair of sea dikes after investment;

3. The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Mitigation shall be responsible for monitoring and urging ministries, sectors, and localities to implement the Program, ensuring the effectiveness of investment and alignment with flood and storm prevention objectives, plans, and measures;

4. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and related agencies:

- Seeking ODA funding to implement the Program;

- Annually, based on investment needs and the State budget's capacity, allocating investment capital for the Program and arranging it into a separate list to support localities in its implementation;

- Being responsible for monitoring and supervising investment to ensure that project and work investments are carried out according to objectives and are effective;

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 4. The Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of agencies under the Government, the Head of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Mitigation, and the Chairmen of the People's Committees of the provinces and cities: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam shall be responsible for implementing this Decision.