Mobilizing people to develop small-scale irrigation and intra-field irrigation

The conference was attended by delegates from 52 provinces and cities across the country. Comrades: Nguyen Van Tinh - General Director of the General Department of Irrigation, Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired the conference.

Delegates attending the conference. Photo: Phu Huong

Vietnam currently has over 25,000 small irrigation works, intra-field irrigation works of all kinds and over 140,000 km of intra-field canals, most of which were built by local authorities and people long ago, without design, lacking funds for regular maintenance... making it very difficult to serve irrigation.

The country has 21,304 organizations managing small irrigation works and in-field irrigation. Through sponsored projects, in recent years, 456 irrigation management models with people's participation have been established and consolidated, including 3 types: cooperatives, cooperative groups and water user associations.

Collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements received Certificates of Merit from the Provincial People's Committee. Photo: Phu Huong

In addition, international organizations also support the pilot establishment of two models: the Grassroots Irrigation Organization Union model and the Irrigation Production and Development Steering Committee model.

At the conference, there were many presentations from delegates from localities on issues such as: Experience in developing small-scale irrigation, in-field irrigation, irrigation management with people's participation... Representative of Nghe An presented a presentation on the implementation and replication of the PIM model in the Southern Nghe An Irrigation System.

Awarding Certificates of Merit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements. Photo: Phu Huong

At the conference, Nghe An also launched the 2018 irrigation movement. This movement has been launched and maintained well by the Provincial People's Committee for 17 years now.

As a leading province in the country, through campaigns, Nghe An has aroused the self-reliance and self-improvement awareness of the entire population, with over 1 million working days each year doing internal irrigation, contributing significantly to the development of agricultural production, increasing productivity and output of crops.

This year, the whole province strives to mobilize 1.1 million working days to dredge, dig, fill, and repair works and banks of over 1 million cubic meters of soil and mud, and clear about 2.2 million square meters.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development awarded Certificates of Merit to 9 groups and 6 individuals; Nghe An Provincial People's Committee awarded Certificates of Merit to 6 groups and 6 individuals with outstanding achievements in implementing the emulation movement "All people join forces to do irrigation".

In the afternoon of the same day, the delegates will visit some irrigation work sites in Vinh City, Hung Nguyen District and Nam Dan District. In the photo, youth union members of Hung Nguyen District respond to the National Movement to build irrigation works this year. Photo: Phu Huong