Rice fields are cracked due to saltwater intrusion, risk of rice dying from the beginning of the season

In early July, people in Chau Nhan commune, Hung Nguyen district, were “sitting on hot coals” because their fields were near the river but they could not pump water to irrigate the newly planted summer-autumn rice. Partly because of the lack of water, but mainly because the water was salty, if pumped in, the rice would die.

Present at the fields of Hamlet 2, Chau Nhan Commune, the reporter recorded that the summer-autumn rice fields were dry, cracked, and white due to lack of water for a long time. Although there had been rains at the end of June, the flow was very low, combined with the continued hot sun, the supplied water quickly evaporated, leaving the fields dry and cracked.

Mr. Tran Thanh Tung, Chau Nhan commune shared: My family grows 8 sao of summer-autumn rice this year, from the beginning of the crop until now we have only been able to pump water once, then the Rum and Lam rivers gradually dried up, the water supply was interrupted. Now there is also a serious salinity situation so we cannot pump water to irrigate the rice. People are helpless because there is no other way to save the rice.

Mr. Tran Van Lien, head of Hamlet 2, Chau Nhan Commune, said: The whole hamlet has 43 hectares of summer-autumn rice, up to now 75% of the area has been planted, about 25% of the area is located in the highlands, water cannot reach so it has to be left fallow. For the 75% of the planted area, there have been many difficulties from the beginning of the season due to lack of water and electricity. Up to now, although water and electricity have been more stable, the rice still cannot be saved because the water source is heavily salted, people in the hamlet are very worried.

It is known that the entire Chau Nhan commune this year has 350 hectares of summer-autumn rice, however, in reality, due to the above difficulties, only 248 hectares can be planted, the remaining area must be left fallow or converted to crops.

According to the staff of Hung Chau pumping station, since mid-June, the salinity of the water source has fluctuated from 2 to 3 parts per thousand, exceeding the allowable level. By early July, although the salinity has decreased, it is only during high tide, but during low tide, the salinity is still above 1 part per thousand, making it difficult to continue pumping for crops. Therefore, currently about 1,000 hectares of rice in Chau Nhan, Hung Loi, Hung Phuc, Hung Nghia communes... are still at an alarming level.

For Nghi Loc district, the Cam river system from the downstream of Cam bridge (road N5) down to Nghi Quang river, the salinity is still high. Although there have been recent rains, the salinity has improved, but in the long term, in the continued hot weather conditions, it is still impossible to pump water to irrigate crops.

Mr. Tran Nguyen Hoa - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghi Loc district said: The salinity of the Cam River in the area has appeared in the past crop seasons, this year the situation is even more severe due to the long heat and low rainfall, therefore, about 1,000 hectares of rice in the communes of Nghi Thuan, Nghi Hung, Nghi Yen, Nghi Tien, Nghi Thiet, Nghi Quang... lack water because it is impossible to pump water continuously. In the coming years, if the salinity situation does not improve, the district will not restructure the rice area in these localities, but will instead change the crop structure to combat drought and salinity.

In Nghi Loc district, the main cause of saltwater intrusion is that the Nghi Quang bara system has been degraded and leaked, so the task of preventing saltwater intrusion and preserving freshwater of the Nghi Quang bara sluice is no longer as effective as designed, causing saltwater to intrude and encroach deep into the fields. However, the upgrading of the Nghi Quang bara sluice has not been implemented yet, so it is difficult to prevent saltwater intrusion completely.

Discussing this issue, Mr. Nguyen Truong Thanh - Head of Nghe An Irrigation Sub-Department said: Currently, the situation of saltwater intrusion is unpredictable in the province, in which the rivers with high salinity concentrations are Cam River (Nghi Loc) and Rum River (Hung Nguyen), causing the supply of irrigation water to be affected.

There are only two methods to reduce salinity: increase the amount of fresh water to push out the salt and prevent salt water from encroaching further into the fields. In particular, salt prevention is being carried out in the Cam River. Regarding increasing the amount of fresh water, there has been little rain recently, the water level in the upstream and major rivers is also low, so increasing fresh water to push out the salt is very difficult.

This summer-autumn crop season, Nghe An will plant 81,000 hectares of rice. According to the assessment, this is a production season facing many difficulties and challenges. Temperatures are generally higher while total rainfall is lower than the average of many years. Water in dams, rivers, streams and key works is at low levels, and saltwater intrusion is increasing. If at the beginning of the production season, the whole province is expected to have about 6,500 hectares of rice affected by drought and saltwater intrusion, then by the beginning of July 2023, according to statistics from the Nghe An Irrigation Department, the whole province has over 10,000 hectares of rice area at risk of drought and saltwater intrusion.