Nghe An: Actively saving rice in drought-stricken areas at the end of the canal

Some areas in Cay Bun field in Ru hamlet, Cong Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district lack water. Photo: Van Truong

Present at Cay Bun field, Ru hamlet, Cong Thanh commune, districtYen ThanhSummer-autumn rice is in the tillering stage but lacks water, many fields are cracked.

Mr. Tran Tam in Ru hamlet, Cong Thanh commune said: During the hot days, the water from the pumping stations could not flow in time, so the fields lacked water. We had to proactively use mini oil pumps to pump water from the end of the canal.

A representative of Cong Thanh Commune People's Committee said: This summer-autumn crop, Cong Thanh Commune planted over 500 hectares of summer-autumn rice. Due to prolonged heat, about 15 hectares in the downstream areas of the canals suffered from drought. The commune has directed hamlets to deploy more than 10 mini field oil pumps placed in canals and ponds to pump water for the rice. Right from the beginning of the crop, the commune has started dredging over 5 km of canals and maintaining the banks of the fields to avoid water loss.

Farmers pump water into Cay Bun field, Ru hamlet, Cong Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: Van Truong

At Dai Thanh commune's electric pump cluster, Yen Thanh Irrigation Enterprise is currently operating at full capacity. According to the workers operating the pumping station, the pumping station irrigates nearly 300 hectares of rice in the communes of Dai Thanh, Ly Thanh, Lien Thanh, My Thanh, Minh Thanh, they have been taking turns pumping water for the past 10 days. To achieve efficiency, the station implements the method of watering remote areas first, then low-lying areas, when operating the pump, do not let water overflow the canal, causing water waste, loss of electricity...

Mr. Le Van Hong - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Thanh district added: This summer-autumn crop, Yen Thanh district planted over 11,500 hectares of rice. Due to prolonged heat, about 100 hectares of the end of the canal often lack water. Currently, the district has coordinated with Yen Thanh Irrigation Enterprise to install 6 field pumps.

The pumping cluster in Dai Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district operates at full capacity to irrigate summer-autumn rice. Photo: Van Truong

Also at this time, Quynh Luu Irrigation Enterprise has prepared 4 field oil pumps with a capacity of 600 m³/hour, pumps are placed at the head areas of canal N26 and canal N24 to irrigate over 100 hectares of rice at risk of drought in the communes of Quynh Hong, Quynh Hung...

At this time, electric pumping stations in Nam Dan district are actively pumping to combat drought in the area at the end of the canal. Mr. Nguyen Son Tra, Director of Nam Dan Irrigation Enterprise, said: This summer-autumn crop, the unit is irrigating over 5,000 hectares of summer-autumn rice (mainly the pumping station system). Of which, over 60 hectares of rice are concentrated in the communes of Xuan Lam, Hung Tien, Kim Lien (Nam Dan) located at the end of the canal, so there is often a shortage of water.

Rice fields in Hoa Son commune, Do Luong district lacked water right from the beginning of the crop. Photo: Van Truong

Faced with that situation, the unit has deployed 17 pumping stations (50 pumps) simultaneously to irrigate rice, focusing on rotating irrigation and condensing water on canals to supply water to rice fields in difficult areas.

Currently, the Southern irrigation region has over 300 hectares of summer-autumn rice located at the end of the canal at risk of water shortage, concentrated in Nghi Lam, Nghi My, Nghi Kieu communes (Nghi Loc), Hung Yen Bac, Hung Yen Nam communes (Hung Nguyen), Xuan Lam, Hung Tien, Kim Lien communes (Nam Dan).

The irrigation unit has directed irrigation enterprises to operate 38 large and small pumping stations at full capacity. Prioritizing water pressure for the downstream areas, irrigation units in Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, and Hung Nguyen districts have prepared 15 field oil pumps to install in locations that often lack water, ready to pump when there is a shortage.

Pumping water to combat drought for summer-autumn rice in Nam Dan district. Photo: Van Truong

According to the report of the Irrigation Department, the recent hot weather has caused difficulties in watering summer-autumn rice. Therefore, to proactively combat drought, the Irrigation Department has requested localities and irrigation units to review the water situation. Develop drought-fighting irrigation plans for each region and each project and implement them when drought and water shortage occur.

Pumping water from Dao River to irrigate rice in Trang Son commune, Do Luong district. Photo: Van Truong