40 dams in Tan Ky have fallen below the dead water level.

Nhom Dam of Ky Tan Commune is at dead water level. Photo: Xuan Hoang

This season, Tan Ky district plans to plant 4,654 hectares of rice. However, due to prolonged drought, the water level in the dams in the district has dropped, not enough to provide water for people to prepare the land for planting.

Unlike previous years, the winter-spring rice fields of Nghia Hanh commune were planted at the end of June. However, this year, the drought was so severe that 170/260 hectares were in a state of discolored and cracked.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tuan - Chairman of Nghia Hanh Commune People's Committee said: This year, due to little rain, 11/13 dams in the commune have run out of water, causing 170 hectares to wait for rain. Currently, people are actively taking care of rice seedlings, waiting for rain to come down to prepare the land for planting. However, if we wait too long, we will lose the land.If the seedlings are old, farmers will have to use new varieties.

Nghia Dung Commune mobilized people to dredge streams; at the same time, build a dam across Thiem stream to store water for the pumping station to operate and get water to irrigate rice. Photo: Xuan Hoang

In Nghia Dung commune, the area of ​​land for growing winter-spring rice is still 51 hectares without water for planting. Recently, the locality mobilized people to dredge Thiem stream to store water, using pumps to irrigate 18 hectares of planted rice in Van Son and Tan Tho hamlets. The area of ​​land that has not been planted will have to wait for rain to prepare the land for planting.

According to the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as of July 3, the entire district had only planted 1,932 hectares of winter-spring rice. Thus, 2,722 hectares could not be planted due to lack of water.

Currently, Tan Ky district still has 2,722 hectares of land for winter-spring rice cultivation that cannot be planted due to lack of water. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to a survey, in Tan Ky district, 40/115 large and small dams are currently running out of water.

In addition to rice, in Tan Ky area, there are also 804 hectares of spring-summer corn that are in the stage of withering, unable to be harvested; 5,716 hectares of sugarcane and 2,443 hectares of cassava have been withered by the drought, causing up to 50% of the area to wither. The total damage is estimated at over 30 billion VND.

More than 800 hectares of spring-summer corn in Tan Ky have withered due to the heat and Lao wind, at risk of total loss. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet - Chairman of Tan Ky District People's Committee shared: In the face of the ongoing drought, the district directed the communes to use local budgets, mobilize people to dredge streams and streams, and collect water to pump water to nourish the planted rice fields. For the land areas that do not have water for planting, people prepare fertilizers, agricultural materials, and take care of the seedlings. When it rains, they will start preparing the land and planting immediately.

The most difficult situation is that hundreds of hectares of spring-summer corn of farmers are at the end of flowering and seeding, facing the harsh heat and strong Lao winds, leading to withering, possibly a total crop failure, causing billions of dong in damage.