Many pumping stations in Nghe An are running at full capacity to fight drought and save summer-autumn rice crops.

The 4AC pumping station system in Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan district is running at full capacity day and night to irrigate against drought. Mr. Nguyen Trung Chinh, Station Manager of 4AC pumping station, said: The station manages 10 pumping stations, including 3 large pumping stations, each station has 3 pumps with a capacity of 3,600 m3/hour. The system irrigates over 1,000 hectares of rice in Kim Lien, Hung Tien, Xuan Lam communes and part of Hung Dao commune (Hung Nguyen).

These days, 10 pumping stations in the area operate from 17-20 hours/day to irrigate the rice. The pumping period is expected to last 10-12 days, along with that, workers have to stick to the irrigation canal system to force the water source to the people's rice fields. Currently, due to the prolonged heat, the water source taken from the Ba Ra Nam Dan system is lower than the design level, during the day we have to wait for the tide to rise before pumping. Not to mention the sunny weather, when pumping, the water evaporates quite quickly, leading to the situation where some rice fields have dried up right after pumping.

Mr. Nguyen Son Tra - Director of Nam Dan Irrigation Enterprise said: The enterprise has 19 electric pumping stations located along Lam River, irrigating 2,500 hectares of rice for Nam Dan district. At this time, the workers all eat at the station to operate the water pumps. Currently, there are times when the water level of Lam River is low, so pumping work is difficult.

According to the report of the Department of Agriculture of Nam Dan district, the pumping station system in Nam Dan district currently has over 100 pumping stations operating at full capacity to irrigate 5,400 hectares of summer-autumn rice. Due to the prolonged heat, there is still a local water shortage in some communes. If it does not rain in the next few days, Nam Dan district will be at risk of drought on over 500 hectares of rice concentrated in the communes of Hung Tien, Xuan Lam, Kim Lien, Nam Anh, Nam Xuan...

Nam Irrigation Company Limited manages 42 pumping stations, serving irrigation for 27,000 hectares of rice, (of which 85% is electric pumping area). Before and during pumping, the salinity of the water must be regularly checked, and absolutely no pumping is allowed when the salinity exceeds the allowable level. For some summer-autumn rice areas, although not registered for irrigation with the unit, when there is drought, the unit still pumps irrigation water.

However, the current difficulty is that most of the unit's pumping stations are deteriorating. Every year, the company maintains, repairs, and replaces and repairs as they are damaged. Because the pumping station system is old and outdated, the pumping process must be "squeezed" water, which consumes electricity and increases the number of workers operating to squeeze water.

To cope with the drought, the unit also prepared over 20 field oil pumps placed at dead-end river locations and ponds to "rescue" rice when necessary.

These days, the pumping station system in Yen Thanh district is also operating at full capacity. Mr. Nguyen Kien, Head of Dai Thanh Irrigation Cluster of Yen Thanh Irrigation Enterprise, said: My cluster consists of 9 workers, responsible for operating 2 irrigation pumping stations for nearly 465 hectares of rice in 5 communes Dai Thanh, Ly Thanh, My Thanh, Lien Thanh, Minh Thanh. During this heat wave, the stations take turns pumping 24/24 hours. To achieve efficiency, we follow the motto "high - far water first, low - near water later", when operating the pump, do not let water overflow the canal, causing water waste, loss of electricity...

This summer-autumn crop, Yen Thanh planted 12,800 hectares of rice. To cope with the drought, Yen Thanh district directed the Irrigation Enterprise and agricultural service cooperatives to proactively pump water reserves in ponds, lakes, and canal systems. Mobilized forces to dredge canals and prepare field pumps to serve drought prevention; for areas with high risk of water shortage, switch to dry crop production.

Pumping stations assign workers to operate and check canals and fields, promptly regulate and distribute water reasonably to ensure irrigation water source.

According to the report of the Irrigation Department, currently is the peak period of water supply for planting and irrigation of summer-autumn rice crop in 2023, the weather situation in the province is extremely unfavorable for production. To ensure irrigation water supply for summer-autumn production, Nghe An currently has over 500 pumping stations, managed by agricultural cooperatives and irrigation units, currently all pumping stations are operating at full capacity.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the People's Committees of districts, cities, towns and Irrigation Limited Companies to closely coordinate and regularly check the situation of water resources, drought, and saltwater intrusion. Direct grassroots irrigation organizations to manage water resources, prevent leakage and water loss, and distribute water reasonably and economically.

Based on the current water resources, review and supplement the plan to combat drought in the summer-autumn crop. Localities and units regularly check the salinity concentration in rivers (especially at river mouths), canals and at the suction tanks of pumping stations, and promptly notify water users.

Strictly manage water resources, increase the use of advanced irrigation methods, save water for rice and dry crops. Organize dredging of canal systems, water intake gates, and pumping stations to ensure water supply and ventilation from the source to the fields, and take advantage of all water sources for production.

Focus on getting water into the system when hydroelectric reservoirs release water to increase water resources; utilize lagoons, ponds, lakes, dead-end rivers, and large canals to store water in the fields. Install field pumping stations, maintain machinery and equipment, and be ready to operate pumps to fight drought.

The difficulty with the current pumping system in the province is that many pumping stations were built in the 70s and 90s, so they have degraded, waste a lot of electricity, and operate inefficiently.