Efforts to combat drought

(Baonghean) - Since the beginning of May, the prolonged drought and record low water levels in rivers have caused many localities to lack water for rice production during the summer-autumn crop season. Irrigation management units, along with local authorities and farmers, are implementing various solutions to combat the drought.

Quynh Luu: 90% of the summer-autumn rice crop area has been sown and planted.

The prolonged heatwave has caused over 1,000 hectares of rice paddies across Quynh Luu district to crack and risk being abandoned. Many areas of early-planted summer-autumn rice crops have also suffered from drought and poor development. In response to this situation, the leaders of Quynh Luu district, along with the Department of Agriculture and the Irrigation Enterprise, have regularly inspected the fields and focused on regulating water to ensure suitable conditions for planting.

Residents of Dong Trung hamlet, Dong Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) are installing portable water pumps to irrigate their rice fields to combat drought.

The Tau Voi rice field, belonging to Tan My Cooperative in Quynh My commune, covers 60 hectares and is located at the end of the N17 canal, making it severely affected by drought and preventing farmers from cultivating their crops. However, thanks to the attention of the Irrigation Enterprise, which prioritized water supply, and the efforts of the cooperative in using water pumps to directly irrigate the fields, the farmers have now successfully planted over 60 hectares of summer-autumn rice on schedule.

Not only Quynh My commune, but also Quynh Lam is a "hot spot" for water shortage in Quynh Luu district. The entire commune has 635 hectares of summer-autumn rice, of which 60 hectares are in drought-prone areas at risk of being abandoned due to lack of water. During the main planting season, all water sources are concentrated in low-lying, easily accessible areas, so the entire rice field in hamlets 9, 10, and 11 remains bare with only stubble, and the land is dry and cracked. In response to this situation, the commune People's Committee worked with the Irrigation Enterprise to develop a plan for rotating water distribution along each canal, concentrating water on higher, more accessible areas. In addition, the commune mobilized dozens of water pumps to operate 24/7. Thanks to this, 100% of the commune's summer-autumn rice crop has now been planted, and the rice plants have taken root and are developing well.

According to the plan for the 2015 summer-autumn crop season, Quynh Luu district planted over 5,800 hectares of rice in 27 communes and towns. The goal was to complete the planting schedule before June 20th. However, due to hot weather and localized drought, as of June 10th, nearly 1,000 hectares of rice in the district were still lacking water for production. Faced with this urgent situation, under the direct guidance of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, Quynh Luu district held numerous meetings to discuss drought mitigation measures, with particular priority given to water resources for production. The Irrigation Enterprise and the Department of Agriculture were instructed to regularly monitor the fields and develop specific irrigation schedules for each commune to ensure rational water management.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Hy, Director of the Quynh Luu District Irrigation Enterprise, added: "During the 2015 summer-autumn crop season, the weather was extremely hot, and Quynh Luu district is located at the end of the water source, so the water shortage for production was even more serious. The irrigation enterprise mobilized manpower and resources to dredge and clear all canals to supply water during the summer-autumn crop season. At peak times, the two large pumping stations N17 and N13, and hundreds of mobile pumping stations and pumps in agricultural cooperatives operated at full capacity to provide water for the people. By this time, 90% of the total area of ​​Quynh Luu district has been sown and planted, with about 10% of the area in the highlands still being pumped with water, and it is expected that sowing and planting will be completed by June 20th.”

Do Luong: 500 million VND allocated to support communes in combating drought.

At the Van Trang I pumping station (Van Son Son commune, Do Luong district), the electric pumps are operating at full capacity. Mr. Duong Ngoc Chau, Head of the pumping station, said: "The pumping station has been operating continuously for the past 20 days to contribute to the water supply for the Khuon River system, and to support the irrigation of rice fields in the reservoir area that are experiencing water shortages. Besides the station staff, workers are also actively pumping water to distribute to the communes." In the Dam Cay field, Hamlet 8, Thai Son commune, Do Luong district, Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen, Chairwoman of the Thai Son Commune People's Committee, is directing farmers in pumping irrigation water. Amidst the crisp sound of the mobile diesel pumps, Ms. Yen explained: "The commune has planned to deploy three mobile diesel pumps, pumping water twice: from the Khuon River to the main canal and from the main canal to the internal field canals. The priority is to pump water in a concentrated, high-lying area first, then to the near-low-lying area. As soon as the water reaches the pumping station, farmers immediately bring in machinery to prepare the land and begin planting." In just the past three days, the commune has focused on pumping water for irrigation, preparing the land, and planting rice on over 20 hectares. The goal is to prepare and plant 40 hectares out of the 120 hectares currently without irrigation by June 20th.

Reportedly, to cope with the drought, in addition to directing communes to manage water flow effectively, Do Luong district mobilized over 30 mobile diesel pumps placed in communes such as Tru Son, Thai Son, Thuong Son, Giang Son Dong, etc. The district has allocated over 500 million VND from its budget to support communes in pumping diesel to combat the drought.

Faced with the severe drought and water shortage affecting the summer-autumn crop, the Northern Irrigation Company Limited is implementing proactive measures to combat the drought in the four key rice-growing districts of Do Luong, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, and Yen Thanh. Mr. Ho Ngoc Mai, the company's director, stated: "To ensure water supply for planting, the company has proactively developed drought mitigation plans such as water concentration, rotational irrigation, scientific and water-saving irrigation techniques, operating the system according to established procedures, and flexibly operating salinity control and freshwater retention structures to ensure sufficient water levels for drought prevention."

The project involves damming drainage channels to utilize return water for pumping, removing weeds and algae, dredging canals, and sharing water resources with the Southern Irrigation System when conditions permit. Particularly in Do Luong district, a significant area relies on pumped water. However, due to insufficient water flow into the Khuon River (only 1/6 of the required irrigation water), many communes lack irrigation water. In response, the Northern Irrigation Company Limited has implemented a solution to regulate water flow on the Dao River system, creating a water source for the Khuon River system to irrigate over 1,200 hectares of rice fields in the communes of Thai Son, Hoa Son, Thuong Son, Tan Son, etc.

Nhu Thuy - Van Truong