Nghe An: Drought relief with "bamboo pump"

(Baonghean.vn) - No need to operate, no fuel consumption, hundreds of bamboo "pumps" are day and night saving the rice fields of the people in the highlands of Nghe An from drought.

Tien Phong Commune (Que Phong) people made hundreds of water wheels to fight drought for rice plants.

According to forecasts, in 2016, Nghe An province will experience unpredictable drought, especially in mountainous areas. Although the peak of the hot season is still 1-2 months away, drought has already occurred in some localities. Local authorities are actively taking action, finding ways to limit possible damage.

In Tien Phong commune (Que Phong), Mr. Nguyen Dinh Kiem, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: In the spring crop of 2016, the whole commune planted 259 hectares of rice. Due to the dry dam, up to 170 hectares were short of water. In that situation, the government mobilized people to actively dredge canals, but because many dams were dry, it was difficult to overcome. The district government also mobilized pumps and supported money to buy oil to help people fight the drought.

In addition to diesel water pumps, the traditional method of many mountainous residential areas is to use water wheels to bring water to the fields. The entire Tien Phong commune has 103 water wheels that the people themselves made and invested in. These “bamboo water pumps” have become part of the agricultural culture of the highlanders and are showing positive results.

On highland areas, the use of water wheels proves to be quite effective in irrigating spring rice fields.

In Dan village, where the most severe drought occurred in Tien Phong commune in the last spring, people have installed water wheels to overcome the problem, and now only a few areas are experiencing local water shortages. Mr. Luong Van Chung, a resident of Dan village, said: Each wheel is usually shared by 3-4 households with adjacent fields.

If 4 people work, it takes about 2 weeks to complete a waterwheel. After a year of use, or if it is washed away or damaged by a flood, people have to start over, which is very time-consuming.

In Chau Tien commune (Quy Chau), there are 288 water wheels operating day and night, so the rice fields here always have enough water for irrigation. Mr. Sam Van Kinh, Secretary of Chau Tien commune Party Committee, said: Thanks to the people proactively purchasing water pumps, especially water wheels, drought prevention has been very convenient. Currently, the whole commune has almost no rice fields lacking water for irrigation.

According to forecasts, in the western Nghe An region, this year's drought came early, with little rainfall, greatly affecting the crops. To proactively cope with the complex nature of the climate and weather, many localities are also focusing on crop conversion solutions.

In 2015, sugarcane growers in Con Cuong district had to endure a "bitter" sugarcane season due to drought.

Currently, some localities such as Con Cuong and Quy Chau are planning to cooperate with TH Milk Factory to purchase corn for local people. On that basis, dry rice fields will be converted to short-term corn. In Tan Ky district, Mr. Nguyen Ba Thuc, Head of the district's Agriculture Department, said: The immediate measure is to limit irrigation to save water, and at the same time adjust the crop season to suit the weather conditions.

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