hankyoreh

Residents near the Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Laos take refuge after the dam collapsed to cause a massive flood on July 24. (Yonhap News)

On July 20, three days before the collapse of the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydroelectric dam in Laos that left hundreds of people unaccounted for, SK Engineering & Construction (SK E&C), the firm in charge of the construction of the dam, had detected sinking in the central part of the dam. But torrential rains prevented SK E&C from repairing that section of the dam, apparently resulting in the disaster.

During a press conference on July 25, Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith announced that at least 26 people had died in the collapse of the dam and that 131 people were missing. All the dead and missing are Laotian nationals. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered the South Korean government to organize a full-scale relief effort and send emergency aid workers to the site of the accident.

Multiple sources at SK E&C and Korea Western Power told The Hankyoreh on July 25 that SK E&C had discovered that the central part of the auxiliary dam had sank by about 11cm on July 20 and confirmed that the top part of the dam had been swept away at 9 pm on July 22. The auxiliary dam where the problem occurred was an earth-fill dam that was supposed to hold water for hydroelectric power generation and maintain the water level, and the top part of this dam is what fell down.

On the evening of July 22, SK E&C brought in workers and equipment and tried to initiate repairs that night on the section of the auxiliary dam that had been swept away. But these repairs were reportedly thwarted by the continuing downpour, along with the fact that most of the access roads to the dam had been washed away by the heavy rain.

Around 3 am on July 23, there was an attempt to lower the water level at the auxiliary dam by opening the emergency sluice gate at the main dam and releasing water there. But as the localized heavy rain continued, the water level at the dam did not fall, and an additional section of the upper part of the auxiliary dam was washed away at 6 pm on July 23, at which point water began to spill over the dam. At 9:30 am on July 24, seven of 12 villages downstream were submerged in a torrent of water.

Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Laos

When reports appeared in the foreign press claiming that the dam had collapsed shortly after the accident occurred, SK E&C responded that “there were some cracks in the dam and the top part was swept away, but it didn’t collapse.” Since then, however, the company’s attitude appears to have changed.

“The dam didn’t fall down, but considering that a 200m upper section of the 730m wide earth-fill dam was swept away, I suppose it wouldn’t be incorrect to call that a collapse. But aside from the localized heavy rain, we’ve yet to determine the direct cause of the accident,” said a spokesperson for SK E&C. Considering that the Laotian government is planning to launch an investigation into the causes of the accident, it appears plausible that SK, as the leading construction company, could face major losses if it’s found to be responsible.

Construction on the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Laos, which is being managed by a consortium consisting of SK E&C and Korea Western Power, began in 2012 and is currently 92.5% complete, with the project scheduled to end in Feb. 2019. After SK E&C completes its work on the hydroelectric plant next February, Korea Western Power is supposed to operate the plant for 27 years. The project consists of two main dams and five auxiliary dams with a generating capacity of 410mW. This accident affects one of the five auxiliary dams.

As damage in the flooded areas increases, rescue and repair workers are facing considerable obstacles. “As of yesterday, 2,851 people had been brought to safety, but more over 3,000 residents are still waiting for help. We’re unable to provide official figures until all the survivors have been rescued,” said Bounhom Phommasane, governor of the affected region.

The government of Laos has declared the affected region to be an emergency disaster region and has been using transport ships and helicopters to move people in the most flooded areas to other parts of Attapeu Province and nearby Champasak Province. Because nearly all the roads have been washed out, the rescue is likely to take some time. Residents who remain isolated have climbed up trees and onto rooftops, where they wait for rescue teams to arrive. ABC Laos has broadcast footage of residents pulling furniture and motorcycles from houses that are buried in the mud. Rescue workers have been repairing flooded roads while distributing necessities and drinking water to those affected by the disaster.

Help is also on its way from the international community. The UN has announced that it will support the rescue work, while Thailand – which received help from around the world earlier this month in the daring rescue of teenagers trapped in a cave – as well as its neighbor of Vietnam have announced plans to dispatch professional rescue workers to the accident site.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has instructed his government to wholeheartedly support the rescue effort by sending an emergency rescue team. “President Moon said that while they’re still looking into the cause of the accident at the dam, our government needs to proactively and immediately help with the local rescue efforts since a Korean company was involved in the dam construction,” said Blue House Spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum.

“During a meeting of deputy ministers of related departments held this morning, Office for Government Policy Coordination Director Hong Nam-gi took steps to devise specific measures,” Kim said.

For its part, the SK Group’s SUPEX Council held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, with Council Chairman Cho Dae-sik presiding. During the meeting, the council decided to send an emergency rescue team of more than 20 people to join the rescue efforts of Laotian flood victims on July 26.　

By Seong Yeon-cheol, senior staff writer, and Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

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