Director of the Department of Agriculture inspects and directs measures to save rice
(Baonghean.vn) - Storm No. 3 has caused heavy rains in recent days, causing many areas of summer-autumn rice and vegetables to be flooded. Therefore, the agricultural sector and localities are urgently implementing measures to drain the water and save the rice.
On the afternoon of July 21, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Nghia Hieu inspected the drainage situation at Dien Thanh sluice and the remediation work in Dien Chau and Yen Thanh.
The Dien Thanh culvert (the project to restore and upgrade the North Nghe An irrigation system funded by JICA) has been upgraded and expanded to drain and reduce flooding for 15,000 hectares of low-lying areas in Yen Thanh and Dien Chau districts. It has been completed and is proving effective. The cofferdam has now been almost completely removed, meeting the need for flood drainage; the water level from the 2.0m level has decreased to 1.35m, 0.5m higher than normal.
Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau district said that if it does not rain in the coming days, or if it rains lightly, all the rice will be drained away. On July 19, Dien Chau had 5,000 hectares of flooded rice, but by the afternoon of July 21, the flooded rice area had decreased to 2,100 hectares, of which 1,200 hectares were deeply flooded.
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| Checking drainage activities at Dien Thanh sluice. Photo: Thu Huyen |
Checking the operation of the sluice, the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development directed the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention of the Bung River System and Dien Thanh sluice to continue removing the dike to drain water to save flooded rice; dredge water hyacinth to create a clear flow, and build banks and pond banks to protect shrimp and fish.
In Yen Thanh, the water is also receding, the area of Summer-Autumn rice in the panicle-forming period was 5,138.8 hectares flooded (as of July 19) and has now decreased to over 2,500 hectares flooded. Some communes were flooded heavily such as Long Thanh, Vinh Thanh, Bao Thanh, Nhan Thanh, etc.
Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee Nguyen Vuong Ngoc said: We are closely monitoring the situation of receding water, continuing to direct dredging to clear the flow, removing water hyacinth from the main drainage axes and removing water hyacinth in the fields when the water recedes, ensuring that the areas of Summer-Autumn crops that have been planted can grow and develop well.
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| Some rice fields in Yen Thanh are deeply flooded, with the possibility of total loss. Photo: Thu Huyen |
Through inspection in Dien Chau and Yen Thanh, it was found that many rice fields had receded and the rice was growing well; the rice leaves were above the water level. However, there were still some areas in some localities with deep water, especially in Nhan Thanh and Long Thanh communes. If the water could not drain in the next few days, the rice would likely be completely lost.
The Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: Currently, the industry and localities are focusing on de-watering and pumping to prevent local flooding to save rice. All drainage systems must operate at full capacity to promptly drain the flood.
Besides focusing on drainage, the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also recommended measures to care for and restore rice after the water recedes.
