Extreme drought in Nghe An: Fish die due to dry lake, young rice burns en masse

Tan Ky dam lake dried up, fish died from heat

These days, people in Tan Ky district are struggling with the heat, the dams are dry, the hot water has caused fish to die and expose their bellies. The whole district still has 2,900 hectares of land for growing winter rice that has not been planted, especially 400/1,600 hectares of winter rice that have been planted due to lack of irrigation water, the fields have been cracked for many days now.

Electricity Dam, in Ky Son commune (Tan Ky), water only stagnates at the bottom. The recent hot days have caused mass fish deaths. Photo: Xuan Hoang

At the Dien Luc water storage dam in Ky Son commune, only a black puddle of water remains at the bottom. The water is too hot for fish to survive, and the water regulation sluice is dry. Right below is the abandoned Dien Luc field of dozens of hectares in Ky Son commune.

"According to the crop calendar, June 25 is the end of the crop planting season in Tan Ky, but with the weather continuing to be hot like this, and 80% of the lakes and dams having reached the dead water level, people have accepted late planting on an area of ​​2,900 hectares. The locality cannot change crops because most of that area is prone to flooding during the rainy season" - Mr. Nguyen Tat Hai - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tan Ky district worried.

Mr. Tu Manh Cuong in Dien Luc hamlet, Ky Son commune dredged the stream and used an oil pump to pump water to irrigate crops. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The hot weather will last for the coming days. To protect crops, Tan Ky district has directed localities to have no other choice but to propagate and mobilize farmers to dredge streams and use field oil pumps to pump water to irrigate rice fields and other crops.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Trung - Head of Tan Ky District Agriculture Department

Nghi Loc young rice burned to death

Many newly planted rice fields in Nghi Loc were burned to death due to lack of water and extreme heat.

Mrs. Tran Thi Loc in Hamlet 3, Nghi Thuan Commune said: This summer-autumn crop, my family planted 6 sao of rice. Now my family has no hope for this summer-autumn crop, because most of the rice has started to dry up. The initial cost of nearly 4 million VND for these 6 sao of rice is considered a total loss. She pulled up a handful of rice, all of it had dried up.

Young rice dies in Nghi Thuan - Nghi Loc. Photo: Nhat Tuan

Although located next to the Cam River, for more than half a month now, all three pumping stations: Sac Bong, Ru Do, Sieu Ba of Nghi Thuan commune have had to stop operating because the river water level is low and salty. That has led to 140/210 hectares of local summer-autumn rice in the tillering stage being dried up.

Implementing the urgent telegram of Nghi Loc District People's Committee on urgent solutions to combat drought, localities in the district have actively deployed to save the summer-autumn rice crop. Nghi Cong Nam commune has organized to block Khe Cai, pump water from Khe Thi Lake, and supply water to Con Truong pumping station to combat drought.

In the condition that Gai canal water is dry, Nghi Dien Commune People's Committee mobilized oil pumps to operate day and night to fight drought. Photo: Nhat Tuan

To save 150 hectares of summer-autumn rice from drought, Nghi Dien commune authorities mobilized civil servants, village team leaders, and commune police to coordinate with the district irrigation enterprise to collect water hyacinth and clear the flow for Yen Ngua pumping station in hamlet 2; Tho Son pumping station, and hamlet 11 pumping station.

Nghi Phuong Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative hired an excavator to dredge the nozzle of pumping station No. 1 to pump water to fight drought. Photo: Nhat Tuan

The prolonged heat has caused 3,000/5,800 hectares of summer-autumn rice in the district to face drought. Of these, 2,000 hectares are severely affected by drought, especially 200 hectares of rice in the communes of Nghi Thuan, Nghi Hung, and Nghi Yen that have begun to die due to drought. Nghi Loc District People's Committee plans to allocate 300 to 400 million VND from the budget to support communes to fight drought for summer-autumn rice.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quang - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghi Loc district