He reached his conclusion when leading his department and a delegation from Quang Nam Province yesterday on a tour of the plant where workers were attempting to mend the dam's leaks.

He added "though there is a simple solution for the leaks, the investor and constructor did not treat the problem on time, which raises great concerns."

According to the delegation, water continued to leak from the expansion joints but they couldn't find any cracks.

"There is no pipe for water to be released downstream, which is why the water has leaked," said Dung after checking the dam operation for three hours.

Dung also said the discharge of 30 litres per second was high and needed to be reduced.

Electricity of Vietnam suggested the plant's investor lower the water in the reservoir so that the leaks could be treated. Dung said the construction team must immediately check the dam coverage and treat the leakage with concrete, tar or cement.

Chairman of the Bac Tra My District People's Committee Dang Phong said the construction crew, and the investor, Managing Board of Hydropower Plant No 3, should make people's lives a priority.He even suggested stopping plant operations for safety reasons.

Nguyen Minh Tuan, head of Quang Nam Storm and Flood Prevention, said there was no proposed plan of escape if a disaster occurred.

He could not imagine how much damage the people downstream of the river and the nearby Thu Bon Riverwould experience if anything went wrong.

At the provincial level, Nguyen Duc Hai, Party Secretary of Quang Nam Province said the delegation's conclusion had ensured the safety of local authorities and people. However, he said the construction team and investor must learn lessons from their mistakes and fix the problem as soon as possible.

Also yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Electricity of Viet Nam and the national appraising council to solve the problem in Tranh River Plant to report to the Government.

(VNS)