Nghe An urgently directs response to prolonged heat, drought and saltwater intrusion

Prolonged heatwave over large areas, many lakes and dams dry up

Telegrams sent to People's Committees of cities and towns; Directors of departments, heads of relevant sectors and branches; Directors of Irrigation LLCs; Directors of agricultural and forestry companies; Directors of Ban Ve, Khe Bo and Chi Khe Hydropower Plants and Companies.

The dispatch stated: Since the beginning of the summer-autumn crop of 2019, the weather in the province has been extremely unfavorable, with intense heat occurring continuously for many days with high temperatures commonly ranging from 37 to 40 degrees Celsius.^oC, some higher places, strong southwest wind blows continuously; water level on river banks and streams drops very low: water level of Ca River at upstream of Nam Dan sluice at 2:00 p.m. on July 23 dropped to -0.6m/design 1.15m. Ban Ve Hydropower Reservoir has only 3.8% useful capacity left, irrigation reservoirs have only 20 - 50% capacity left, many small lakes have dried up.

According to the forecast of the North Central Hydrometeorological Station, in the coming time, severe heat may continue to occur, the flow on rivers will continue to decrease and be deficient compared to the average of many years, the risk of drought and water shortage will continue to occur on a large scale; Salt water is at risk of penetrating deep into estuaries and coastal areas, seriously affecting production and people's lives.

Lakes and dams are dry and fish cannot survive in Dai Son commune (Do Luong). Photo: Le Ngoc Phuong

Proactively implement water supply solutions

Continue to implement drought prevention and control measures according to the direction of the Head of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Specifically: Organizing dredging of water intakes and canals; installing and operating field pumping stations; digging ponds, wells, building temporary dams to store water and prevent salinity; speeding up the construction progress of irrigation works and domestic water supply; Instructing people to proactively implement measures to store water, use water effectively, save water, prevent water loss and waste; Proactively implementing water supply solutions, avoiding water shortages for daily life and livestock farming, affecting people's health and lives, especially in mountainous areas and coastal areas where domestic water shortages often occur...

Prolonged drought, Nghe An people pump water to save rice. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also requested relevant units to proactively arrange district-level reserve budgets to implement urgent solutions to prevent and combat drought and saltwater intrusion and provide timely support to restore agricultural production in the area.

In addition, the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development closely monitor weather, climate, water resources and drought developments; continue to send officers to localities to direct and guide localities to effectively implement drought prevention and control measures...