Water hyacinth covers the river in Nghe An, causing "blockage" of the flow during the flood season.

Being present at Bau Chen river area in Lien Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, we witnessed the scene of water hyacinth covering the entire river surface. Some people in Lien Thanh commune said: "The water hyacinth forms a thick carpet, the river water cannot flow fast enough, so every rainy season it causes flooding in fields and villages."

Mr. Tran Xuan Huong, Chairman of Lien Thanh Commune People's Committee, said: Faced with the rapid growth of water hyacinth on Vu Giang and Bau Chen rivers, the local government and people have taken some measures to prevent it, but these are only temporary solutions.

As every year, the commune has hired excavators to join forces and people to salvage water hyacinth. During the rainy season, when the water rises, they use poles to push the water hyacinth to the middle of the stream to let the water wash it away. However, if you keep pushing this layer of water hyacinth away, the water hyacinth will flow back, making it very difficult to handle.

Mr. Le Van Hong - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Thanh district shared: Yen Thanh's drainage system includes the drainage canal system of Vach Bac, Vach Nam, Bau Chen, Bien Hoa, Trung - Long... Currently, there are many sections on the rivers covered with water hyacinth, which is also the cause of flooding on over 2,000 hectares of newly planted summer-autumn rice in Yen Thanh at the end of May 2024.

Currently, the district is directing communes to mobilize machinery and forces to salvage key rivers and canals. Such as focusing on salvaging Vu Giang river in Lien Thanh and Khanh Thanh communes, Bien Hoa river in Vinh Thanh and Nhan Thanh communes, Dinh river in Yen Thanh town, Bau Sung canal in Lang Thanh commune...

Dien Chau district also has many rivers "choked to death" by water hyacinth. It is easy to see that in the internal drainage canals of Dien Lien, water hyacinth covers the water, stagnant water sources causing serious pollution.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Hoang, Chairman of Dien Lien Commune People's Committee, said: Every year, the commune spends over 100 million VND, of which the district supports 40 million VND, the rest is from the commune budget, to rent 3 excavators, combined with local labor to salvage water hyacinth on Do Lien canal and the inner-field canal. However, it is very difficult to completely handle water hyacinth, because after being salvaged, the water hyacinth floats back from Hong Thanh and Phu Thanh communes of Yen Thanh district.

Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau district, said: Dien Chau district currently has many rivers and canals covered by water hyacinth. These are the Bung River, Nha Le canal in the North, Son Tinh canal in the South passing through Dien Doai and Dien Yen communes, 26/3 canal passing through Dien Lien and Dien Dong communes and Vach Nam canal.

This year, Dien Chau district will support localities with 550 million VND to salvage inter-commune rivers and canals. For intra-field canals, the district requires communes to mobilize forces to proactively salvage and clear canals.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Hanh - Director of Dien Chau Irrigation Enterprise discussed: Dien Thanh and Dien Thuy culverts (Dien Chau) are the main drainage systems for the two districts of Dien Chau and Yen Thanh. During flood periods, Dien Thanh culverts are often opened at full capacity, reaching 230 m3/s, while Dien Thuy culverts are 120 m³/S.

The current difficulty is that although localities and irrigation units annually salvage water hyacinth, many canals in Dien Chau and Yen Thanh districts are still covered with water hyacinth, causing blockages in drainage, leading to localized flooding in some communes.

According to a survey, Nghe An currently has many rivers and important drainage canals being "suffocated" by water hyacinth, concentrated in Yen Thanh, Quynh Luu, Hung Nguyen, Dien Chau districts... Currently, in Quynh Luu and Yen Thanh districts, there is a model of some farmers using water hyacinth to compost into bio-fertilizer.

This model helps farmers minimize the use of inorganic fertilizers such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc., contributing to protecting the local environment. It is thought that the above method should be encouraged by local authorities to be widely replicated among the people, both contributing to clearing canals and saving on fertilizer investment costs.