Developing irrigation infrastructure towards serving multiple purposes

(Baonghean) - In recent years, Nghe An has always focused on developing irrigation infrastructure towards modernization, serving multiple purposes, increasing the efficiency of water supply for production, proactively preventing and mitigating damage caused by natural disasters. The whole province has 1,500 irrigation works, ensuring water supply for 170,000 hectares of rice, industrial crops, fruit trees, 7,000 hectares of aquaculture and drainage for 5,000 hectares of crops.

Upgrade projects are effective

In the province, there are many irrigation works that have been upgraded and repaired and have performed very well, such as Ve Vung reservoir in Kim Thanh, Dong Thanh, Quang Thanh communes (Yen Thanh). After being upgraded in 2009, it reached a water surface area of ​​over 720 hectares, with a reserve of 20 million cubic meters of water. The reservoir stably irrigates over 700 hectares of rice and provides domestic water for the people. In other districts, there are also effective works such as Xuan Duong lake (Dien Chau), Don Hung lake, Khe Than dam (Tan Ky) ...

Mr. Ho Ngoc Mai, Director of Bac Irrigation Company Limited - One Member Limited Liability Company said: With the attention and support of the State, in recent years, the irrigation system in the Bac Nghe An system has been increasingly consolidated and developed. Specifically, 15/17 large and small reservoirs have been upgraded... From only being able to irrigate over 52,000 hectares per year, after upgrading and building new irrigation works, the irrigation capacity has increased to 68,000 hectares of rice, along with that, pumping stations and drainage works have also been upgraded and repaired to promote efficiency.

In the Southern Irrigation System, serving mainly the districts of Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc, Vinh City, newly upgraded works such as: bridge, combined with Rao Dung 2 spillway, new protective dike put into use in 2015, this work prevents salinity, keeps fresh water for the cultivated area of ​​500 hectares of Hung Hoa commune (Vinh City) and Nghi Thai commune (Nghi Loc), drains water for Vinh city and Nghi Thai commune (Nghi Loc) and is showing very good effects. Mr. Nguyen Van Thong, Vice Chairman of Nghi Thai Commune People's Committee added: Previously, when there was no such work, saline water often intruded into the fields, rice productivity was low, many areas had to be abandoned. Now that the work is put into use, combined with the dike to prevent floods, people can rest assured to produce 2 rice crops a year with an area of ​​nearly 200 hectares of rice.

Currently, the Southern Irrigation System includes 34 upgraded electric pumping stations, 3 reservoirs under repair and 3 main sluices, Nam Dan, Ben Thuy and Nghi Quang sluices have been basically maintained and upgraded, meeting the irrigation capacity for over 45,000 hectares/year. Irrigation works in midland and mountainous districts have also been effective. Mr. Nguyen Van De, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: After many years of investment, with the main goal of ensuring food security, the province has a network of irrigation works spread throughout the area, including: 2 large irrigation systems: the Northern Irrigation System, the Southern Irrigation System, 624 reservoirs, 599 electric pumping stations, 400 dams, 6,300 km of canals, of which 4,700 km have been solidified. Every year, irrigation works have provided water for people's daily life. Total capacity of irrigation works for nearly 170,000 hectares of rice, 50,000 hectares of pepper, 7,000 hectares of aquaculture, and 1,485 hectares of industrial and fruit trees.

The system of sea and river dykes with a total length of 444 km, protects 130,000 hectares and over 1 million people, preventing salinity for 5,000 hectares of cultivated land. Newly built irrigation works include Khe Lai lake, Nam Dan 2 sluice; upgrading the lake clusters of Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Do Luong districts, Ve Vung - Quan Hai lake cluster, Xuan Duong lake, repairing and upgrading many large and small reservoirs in localities; Repairing and upgrading the Ta Lam dyke system, the sea dyke system is quite complete, ensuring resistance to level 10 storms, responding to high tides such as Quynh Loc dyke, Long - Thuan - Tho dyke, Kim - Hai - Hung dyke, Bai Ngang dyke, Trung - Thinh - Thanh dyke, Bich - Ky - Van - Ngoc dyke, La Van Nghi Yen dyke... Irrigation works have significantly contributed to increasing Nghe An's food output to 1.2 million tons.

The Rao Dung 2 combined bridge and spillway project in Nghi Thai commune (Nghi Loc) is being effective.

Synchronous development of irrigation system

In addition to the above great contributions, the irrigation infrastructure in the area still has many shortcomings. Many irrigation systems have not yet fully exploited their capacity compared to the State's investment. According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the past years, with the WB capital, government bond capital, etc., the province has upgraded and repaired nearly 200 large and small reservoirs, but they are not yet synchronized. Mainly upgrading the headworks, the accompanying works are canals that have not been solidified, and there are still many earthen canals. Many main canals have been built but lack regulatory works, the intra-field canal system is not complete, and management is not strict, so they have not fully exploited their capacity. Some irrigation management enterprises have not followed scientific procedures, causing water loss.

Flood drainage works have not received investment in dredging, often causing blockages, causing slow flood discharge. Not to mention that many irrigation works are deteriorating rapidly due to lack of funds for maintenance, such as Dien Thuy drainage sluice (Dien Chau) built in 1978 to retain fresh water, prevent salinity for 3,800 hectares and drain water for 7,500 hectares of cultivated land for the two districts of Yen Thanh and Dien Chau, but currently 3 sluice gates have rotted, salt water has infiltrated through the Bung River. Currently, many irrigation works are encroached, filled, eroded, reducing their ability to serve production. For example, the Vach Bac drainage canal system and the N18 canal (section passing through Do Thanh - Yen Thanh commune) have been encroached upon by hundreds of households, (encroaching to build houses right on the canal bank) and littering indiscriminately, blocking the flow. For irrigation works invested by the district, there are still cases of poor quality construction, leading to reservoir ruptures... According to the assessment of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, irrigation works serving agriculture have only exploited 60-65% of their design capacity.

In the context of climate change, the trend of floods, droughts, and saline intrusion is increasingly severe, so irrigation infrastructure plays an increasingly important role. Accordingly, the goal set by the agricultural sector by 2020 is that each year, irrigation works will serve well the irrigation work for 180,000 hectares of rice, 50,000 hectares of crops, industrial crops, fruit trees, providing clean water for 90% of the rural population, providing water for aquaculture for 10,000 hectares, supplying and draining water for urban areas and industrial zones. Mr. Nguyen Van De, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, added: With the goal of promoting agricultural development in a modern direction, irrigation work serving production must be given more attention.

However, to do this, it is important to improve the efficiency of existing irrigation works. Specifically, the province is focusing on accelerating the construction progress of major projects such as: upgrading the Nam Dan water intake sluice, expected to be put into use by the end of 2015; establishing a project to control salinity and improve the environment in the downstream of the Hoang Mai River to serve aquaculture; promoting investment in projects such as salinity prevention sluices to keep fresh water on Lam River, Cam River, and pumping stations to supply water to Nam Dan canal to take advantage of water from the upstream of the Ca River to bring water to the fields, meeting the urgent needs of agricultural production.

In particular, the JICA Project (Japan) is currently funding a total investment of VND 5,700 billion to renovate the Northern Nghe An Irrigation System (the largest irrigation project in Nghe An, built in 1930, in use since 1936), including: renovating and upgrading the Do Luong dam (the main project) to have enough water to irrigate 28,000 hectares of rice fields in 4 districts of Do Luong, Yen Thanh, Dien Chau and Quynh Luu; demolishing some old sluices, expanding the Dien Thanh drainage sluice, reducing flooding for 1,920 hectares of low-lying areas; dredging main drainage axes... In addition, it is necessary to socialize the management and exploitation of irrigation works. In irrigation systems, check and evaluate the quality of each item to have a plan to repair, replace and complete the system. Continue to improve the operational capacity of enterprises exploiting irrigation works.

Irrigation development to meet new requirements requires synchronous solutions from mechanisms, policies, capital to scientific and technological solutions to serve agriculture to bring high economic efficiency. The agricultural sector continues to review irrigation planning in the area to serve concentrated aquaculture, convert crop structure associated with local socio-economic development planning and in accordance with the "Agricultural restructuring project", contributing to promoting sustainable development of agriculture and rural areas.

Van Truong