Dense water hyacinth on canals in Nghe An obstructs water flow, affecting flood drainage.

Tho Son canal, one of the important irrigation canals of Nghi Loc commune, is currently recorded to have a thick layer of water hyacinth stretching for kilometers, almost completely blocking the water flow.

Mr. Dang Xuan Duyet - Director of Nghi Loc Irrigation Enterprise said: "This canal is responsible for supplying water to two important pumping stations: Cau Market Pumping Station irrigating 295 hectares of rice in Nghi Loc commune (Dien Hoa commune and old Quan Hanh town) and Tho Son Pumping Station irrigating 600 hectares of rice in Trung Loc commune (old Nghi Long and Nghi Xa communes).

Although Cau Market pumping station has been comprehensively upgraded with 5 modern units, operating at a capacity of 1,300 m³/hour, irrigation pumping is very difficult due to the canal being blocked by water hyacinth. Every year, the enterprise has to mobilize forces to collect water hyacinth, but the amount of water hyacinth from upstream continuously flows back, causing the situation to recur persistently.

Not only the canals in the fields, many large rivers in Nghe An are also being "suffocated" by water hyacinth. At Vu Giang river through Van Tu commune (belonging to Lien Thanh commune, old Yen Thanh district), a thick layer of water hyacinth covers the river surface, blocking the flow.

Ms. Tran Thi Tinh - a local resident shared: "The water fern is as thick as a carpet, the water cannot drain. Every time it rains heavily, this area faces the risk of serious flooding, even threatening the safety of the dike."

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan - Chairman of Van Tu Commune People's Committee said that Vu Giang River plays an important role in draining water for residential areas in the area. Faced with the situation of water hyacinth covering the river surface, obstructing the flow, immediately after the administrative boundary merger on July 2, the commune government held a meeting to discuss and agree on a plan to salvage water hyacinth, to ensure the ability to drain floods, minimize the risk of flooding and ensure the safety of people in the upcoming rainy and stormy season.
It is known that the communes of Hop Minh, Van Tu and Dong Thanh were located in the former Yen Thanh district.There are many canals covered with water hyacinth.Although the government and people have previously implemented many salvage measures, according to assessments, these are only temporary solutions and have not solved the root of the problem.

A similar situation is also happening on the Cau Ba River section through Quang Chau Commune (Dien Thai Commune, old Dien Chau District). Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam - a local resident, was upset: "The river is covered with duckweed, fish and shrimp cannot survive, fishing boats cannot move. Our lives are facing difficulties because of this plant species."

More worryingly, this blockage has gradually turned the river into a dead water stream. “The duckweed makes the water stagnant, turns black, and gives off a foul smell. Garbage and floating animal carcasses cause serious environmental pollution,” another resident shared.

Not only on rivers, but also at important irrigation works such as Bara Nghi Quang sluice, Dien Thanh sluice, Dien Thuy sluice... water hyacinth is also causing serious blockages. The operation of flood drainage sluices during the rainy season therefore faces many obstacles.

According to a survey, many key canals and large rivers in Nghe An province are currently covered by water hyacinth, which has the ability to reproduce quickly and thrive in stagnant water environments. Letting water hyacinth grow freely not only obstructs the flow, but also reduces the quality of water sources, increases pollution and seriously affects agricultural production as well as people's lives.

Faced with this situation, Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection said: Localities in Nghe An need to soon have sustainable solutions such as utilizing water hyacinth as raw material for biogas or organic fertilizer production. Water hyacinth has large biomass, if properly processed and exploited, it can be completely used in combination with livestock waste in biogas digester technology, contributing to creating clean energy for daily life and reducing fuel costs.

However, to apply these biological solutions on a large scale, it requires the synchronous participation of local authorities, environmental enterprises and people; at the same time, propaganda to raise awareness about the harmful effects and how to handle water hyacinth also needs to be focused on, to avoid this plant species continuing to rampage, "suffocating" rivers and canals, affecting irrigation production.