Severe drought, nearly 2,000 hectares of rice in Nghe An burned to death

Phu Huong• July 15, 2020 14:37

(Baonghean.vn) - "The whole province has nearly 2,000 hectares of rice dead and burnt beyond the possibility of being saved. The total area affected by drought has reached over 8,000 hectares, while the weather is forecast to continue to be severely hot and dry" - Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection informed.

Rice sown for 2 months has not been watered
Since the beginning of May, there has been no rain in Nghi Loc district, prolonged hot weather, strong southwest winds, water levels in Cam River, Gai Canal, and Khe Cai have dropped very quickly, many pumping stations have stopped operating or are operating at a standstill due to lack of water or salty water.

Ruộng lúa nứt toác, khô nẻ ở cánh đồng Kỳ Mồ, xã Nghi Hoa, huyện Nghi Lộc. Ảnh: Phú Hương

Cracked and parched rice fields in Ky Mo field, Nghi Hoa commune, Nghi Loc district. Photo: Phu Huong

Sown for more than 2 months but still not watered, 3 sao of rice of Mr. Dang Doan Nha's family, Trung Bac hamlet, Nghi Hoa commune is only a golden color on the dry white ground. "The drought has never been as early and prolonged as this year, even the rai rice (rice grown from the previous crop) which is the most drought-resistant cannot withstand it. There is no water, the river water is dry, there is no way to save the rice. If there is no rain for another 5 days, the rice in this Ky Mo field will all die" - Mr. Nha said dejectedly.

Ruộng lúa của gia đình ông Đặng Doãn Nhã không còn khả năng cứu vãn. Ảnh: Phú Hương

Mr. Dang Doan Nha's family's 3 hectares of summer-autumn rice are beyond saving. Photo: Phu Huong

This crop, Nghi Hoa planted 220 hectares out of 234 hectares of rice land. If there was no drought, the rice would have finished tillering. “In the past few days, we mobilized people and the Quan market pumping station to dredge from the river bottom, extend the pump hose, and take advantage of pond water sources, temporarily saving 30 hectares. Thus, 130 hectares still have water to maintain, the remaining 80 hectares have dried up,” said Mr. Dang Tho Thieu - Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee.

According to Mr. Ho Cao Quy - an officer of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghi Loc district, as of July 13, Nghi Loc had nearly 3,000 hectares out of 5,590 hectares of rice suffering from drought. Of which, nearly 900 hectares showed signs of dying from the fire, 2,100 hectares were seriously lacking water and at very high risk of dying from the fire.

If there is no rain in the next 10 days, all 5,590 hectares of planted rice will have no water for irrigation, of which 3,000 hectares are likely to die.

Trên 70 tuổi, hiếm khi ông Phan Sỹ lượng chứng kiến hạn hán khốc liệt như thế này. Ảnh: Phú Hương

Over 70 years old, Mr. Phan Sy Luong has rarely witnessed a drought as severe as this year. Photo: Phu Huong

In Hung Nguyen, the drought situation is equally serious. Although he is over 70 years old this year, Mr. Phan Sy Luong - Thuong Khe hamlet, Hung Tay commune, Hung Nguyen district has rarely witnessed such a severe and prolonged drought as this year. Of his family's nearly 11 sao of rice, 9 sao have dried up and turned bright yellow.

Since the beginning of June, the rainfall in Hung Nguyen district has been seriously lacking, and while in previous years there was still water to pump despite the drought, this year there is almost no water, the drought is especially severe, many communes have fallen into a state of force majeure, with no feasible way to save the rice. Up to now, the whole district has had over 1,500 hectares of rice seriously lacking water, of which 600 hectares are dry and burnt.

Cánh đồng lúa vàng rực ở Nghi Lộc. Ảnh: Phú Hương

Burning golden rice fields in Nghi Loc. Photo: Phu Huong

“Currently, the communes are mobilizing maximum resources, installing pumps, dredging each bucket of water, each pond, but they can only save a small area near the pond. There is no water source from Do Luong bara, the pump from Lam River is only enough to pump for a few hours/day, so many areas cannot be saved” - Mr. Hoang Duc An - Head of the District's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

The area affected by drought will continue to increase.
The severe heat wave that has lasted since the beginning of June has caused drought on over 8,000 hectares of rice in Nghe An, of which nearly 2,000 hectares have been burned, mainly concentrated in Nghi Loc and Hung Nguyen.

According to Mr. Thai Van Hung - Director of Nam Irrigation Company Limited: In the Nam irrigation system alone, there are 4,820 hectares of rice that are severely drought-affected, even with irrigation water, they cannot be saved, or if they can be saved, the yield will be severely reduced, not counting the areas that have been and are lacking water. "With just one more week of sunshine, the area of severe drought will increase to 6,000 - 6,500 hectares" - Mr. Hung worries.