Northern Nghe An irrigation system upgrade project
The North Nghe An irrigation system was built in 1930 and put into use in 1937. The project takes water from the Lam River to serve production for 34,500 hectares of cultivated land, aquaculture and domestic water. After many years of use, plus the devastation of war, most of the project items have seriously degraded.
(Baonghean) -The North Nghe An irrigation system was built in 1930 and put into use in 1937. The project takes water from the Lam River to serve production for 34,500 hectares of cultivated land, aquaculture and domestic water. After many years of use, plus the devastation of war, most of the project items have seriously degraded.
Although some sections of the canal and its structures have been reinforced, they are only patchwork, only enough to cope with frequent damage, causing huge water losses, unable to meet the water demand of the downstream area, affecting the lives of nearly 1 million people in the 4 districts of Yen Thanh, Quynh Luu, Dien Chau and Do Luong. In particular, in recent years, the drought situation has become increasingly severe, while the demand for water has increased, making agricultural production unstable, and the lives of people in drought-affected areas very difficult.
In that situation, the project "Restoring and upgrading the Northern Nghe An irrigation system" was implemented to ensure the safety and stability of the project, provide irrigation water for nearly 30,000 hectares of agricultural land, expand the irrigation area for Bai Ngang area, ensure food security and reduce poverty.
JICA Representative in Vietnam and leaders of Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development surveyed the headworks of the Northern Irrigation System.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Luc - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An said: Currently, the water source for agricultural production and people's lives in this area depends on the water source from the northern irrigation system, especially Quynh Luu and Dien Chau, which are two districts with large areas of cultivated land. Meanwhile, Nghe An has an average annual rainfall of 1,800 - 2,200 mm, while Quynh Luu often only reaches 1,000 - 1,100 mm. If there is a drought, this will be the area with the most severe water shortage. After the system is upgraded, the project will operate safely in all conditions, reducing management costs and regular repair costs. At the same time, it will solve the problem of saving water, improving irrigation efficiency, creating conditions for expanding the summer-autumn area, irrigating dry crops and providing water for daily life and aquaculture, especially when hydropower plants in the upper Lam River are in operation.
The project will focus on investing in repairing the headworks, reinforcing the upstream and downstream slopes of the headworks, preventing bank erosion, ensuring long-term stability. Restoring and upgrading the entire canal system and works on the canal. At the same time, hardening and completing 56 km of roads along both banks of the canal, creating favorable conditions for the management, operation of the canal system and traffic in the area.
According to the plan, the project will be implemented within 5 years (from 2012-2016) and has a total investment capital of 4,500 billion VND from preferential loans from JICA (Japan). The project is designed to address two limitations: lack of capacity and poor infrastructure. At the same time, it will also address the requirements of the seriously degraded irrigation infrastructure system, by providing capital to renovate essential works, providing technical support to modernize the management and operation of irrigation and drainage systems, improve the management of irrigation systems, increase agricultural output, enhance the productivity of the project to increase the income of farmers in the region.
Phu Huong
