Bringing water over the mountains of Dong Tram Cave 'revives' the 'thirsty' land of Nghi Van.
In the border area between Yen Thanh and Nghi Loc districts, a special irrigation project is gradually taking shape. This is the Son Thanh pumping station, which holds great significance as it brings water over the Dong Tram mountain range to irrigate the Nghi Van area (Nghi Loc district), which has long suffered from water shortages.
A land "thirsty"
We arrived in Nghi Van commune one day in mid-May 2025, when the early summer sun was already shining intensely. This area is located in the western part of Nghi Loc district, bordering Yen Thanh and Do Luong districts. It was once considered a new economic zone of Nghi Loc district; however, irrigation conditions here are extremely limited.
For a long time, the entire Nghi Van commune has relied solely on natural rainwater stored in 19 small lakes and dams. In years with harsh weather, the lakes dry up, forcing people to survive by using open wells or abandoning their crops.
Mr. Doan Van Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghi Van commune, shared: Nghi Van has an agricultural land area of up to 932 hectares, of which 513 hectares are double-cropping rice land, and the rest is arable land and other perennial crop land. About 10 years ago, the double-cropping rice land in the area could only produce one crop per year, and the rest had to be left fallow. In recent years, the area of land producing two rice crops has increased, but it is also very erratic, because during the summer-autumn season, many areas lack irrigation water.
Mr. Dung explained that Nghi Van commune is not located within the irrigation area of traditional pumping stations and frequently faces drought. This is because the pumping station system in Nghi Loc district depends on water regulated from the Nam Dan sluice gate, which flows through the Gai canal system and does not reach Nghi Van commune. Meanwhile, the Northern Irrigation System, which carries water from the Do Luong dam to the Dien-Yen-Quynh fields, cannot irrigate this area due to being separated by several mountain ranges.
Despite having 19 lakes and dams of varying sizes, accounting for nearly 50% of the total lakes and dams in Nghi Loc district, ironically, only Lach Buoi Lake, located in the south of the commune and managed by the Nghi Loc Irrigation Enterprise, has the capacity to store a large amount of water. Even so, the water level in this lake is very unstable. The remaining 18 lakes under local management have very low water reserves.
Mr. Doan Van Dung - Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghi Van Commune
This is why Nghi Van commune is always considered a "thirsty" area in Nghi Loc district. Besides the lack of irrigation water for crops, the water supply for daily life and livestock is also affected.
In recent years, people in Nghi Van commune have even had to use wells drilled to a depth of 40-60m to have enough water for daily life and livestock farming.
Expectations from this historical project.
Faced with the urgent need to "quench the water shortage" in Nghi Van commune, on July 7, 2023, the People's Council of Nghe An province issued Resolution No. 23/NQ-HĐND on the policy of investing in public investment projects in Nghe An province, including the Project to build a pumping station and canal system in Son Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district and Nghi Van commune, Nghi Loc district.
This project has a total investment of 85 billion VND, with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) as the investor. The project officially commenced on January 11, 2025, and is expected to be completed on December 31, 2025.
The project aims to draw water from the N2 canal system of the North Nghe An Irrigation System (flowing through Yen Thanh and Dien Chau districts), transporting it across the Dong Tram mountain range (separating Son Thanh and Nghi Van communes), to irrigate over 700 hectares of agricultural land and provide drinking water for nearly 14,000 people in Son Thanh and Nghi Van communes.
To achieve this goal, the project will construct a pumping station system including: an access canal to the pumping station (leading water from the N2 canal to the pumping station's suction basin, 1.6 km long); a system of station buildings, suction basins, discharge basins, pumps, discharge pipes, suction pipes, an administration building, and operating power lines; a system of canals after the discharge basin (using HDPE pipes buried underground); and a system of connecting canals to the reservoir.
Notably, water from the N2 canal, after being channeled to the Son Thanh pumping station, will be pumped up to higher levels into discharge tanks, and then into existing reservoirs. These include two reservoirs in Son Thanh commune: Cay Tang Lake and Ho Lake. In Nghi Van commune, water from discharge tank No. 1 will be channeled through a pipeline over 2.6 km long to Khe Lim Lake, and then, from the canal system, will be channeled to Vung Trang Lake and Vung Cau Lake.
The fact that this project involves bringing water over the mountains makes it a historic undertaking, serving a vast and potentially rich region that previously relied heavily on natural water sources. Upon completion, the project is also expected to stimulate various high-value economic models and improve the lives of the local people.
Mr. Tran Quoc Hoan - Deputy Director of the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects (representing the project investor) said: To implement this project, there are 15,410m²2paddy land for two crops per year, 15,186m²2Protective forest land must be converted to other uses. Currently, localities where the project passes through are accelerating the land clearance process. At the same time, construction units are also rushing to speed up progress in areas where land has already been cleared.
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In particular, because this period coincides with the peak agricultural production season for the local people, the investor's representative has requested the construction contractor to adjust the construction plan flexibly.
We have instructed the construction units to prioritize the construction of items where land is available; proactively dividing the construction into segments to avoid being caught waiting for land along the entire route. We have reviewed and proposed temporary construction plans to ensure both the livelihoods of the people and the continuity of construction.
Mr. Tran Quoc Hoan - Deputy Director of the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects in Nghe An Province
It is evident that the project to build pumping stations and canal systems in Son Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, and Nghi Van commune, Nghi Loc district, is a special undertaking. Therefore, it requires the investor and relevant localities to adhere to the completion schedule, contributing to the project's early operation and maximum effectiveness. This will also be a major boost for agricultural production transformation, contributing to stabilizing people's lives and developing the local economy in a sustainable direction.
