Thanh Chuong faces the risk of water shortage for production
(Baonghean) - Thanh Chuong district currently has 8,200 hectares of spring rice entering the panicle-forming stage, which is in dire need of irrigation water. However, due to the shallow water level of the Lam River, it is facing the risk of a shortage of irrigation water. Service providers are also facing difficulties because in addition to the lack of water, there is also the risk of a deficit in electricity bills due to increased pumping time.
Mr. Nguyen Phuong Huong and two employees of Thanh Chuong District Irrigation Company Limited are in charge of operating the Ru Nguoc pumping station to irrigate over 200 hectares of rice in Thanh Ngoc commune. During the days when the rice is forming ears and preparing to bloom, along with operating the pump, he must regularly go down to the water collection pit every day to collect trash and clear mud before each pumping.
Mr. Huong said: “In recent days, the demand for irrigation has increased, but because the Lam River is depleted, the pumping station is “out of stock”, so after pumping for a few hours, we have to wait for water to enter the collection pump, so the water supply efficiency is not high. There has never been a year when the Lam River water source has been as low as this year...”.
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| Some pumping stations in Thanh Chuong district are lacking water to irrigate rice fields. Photo: Dinh Ha |
Ru Nguoc pumping station is one of 6 large pumping stations managed and operated by Thanh Chuong District Irrigation Company Limited to irrigate 1,650 hectares of rice. Built many years ago, when there was no climate change, no hydroelectric plants upstream, Lam River was always full, so most of the stations were designed with appropriate technical standards and elevations. Now the river water is dry, many stations are "exposed" and cannot pump, some stations have only 0.2-0.4 m of water level in the pot.
Mr. Nguyen Tri Hiep - Deputy Director of Thanh Chuong District Irrigation Company Limited explained: "Low water leads to insufficient pressure. When pumping, the vortexes will create and push air bubbles to the center of the machine, reducing the capacity and water flow through the faucet. Not only is the water not enough, but it also damages the machine, costing more electricity. The end of spring and the beginning of summer and autumn is the time when water is needed the most, I don't know if it can operate...".
Faced with this situation, to serve irrigation, this unit has connected additional suction pipes to 4 stations including: Rang, Thanh Hung, Dong Van and Ru Dung. The remaining 2 stations, Cat Van and Ru Nguoc, have not been able to do so because during construction, very thick concrete was poured at the bottom of the pot, to connect it, it must be broken, requiring a lot of time and money. At the same time, the solution is implemented by manual solutions; at the same time, it is recommended that localities direct and organize reasonable and effective water regulation. Agricultural cooperatives also participate by regularly following the fields to regulate water, recommending that people increase the embankment construction to retain water to limit loss in the fields.
Despite the complete system of pumping stations and canals, the dry Lam River is an unavoidable situation in drought prevention work. To solve this situation, it is recommended that competent authorities request hydropower plants to release water to serve production, because not only Thanh Chuong district but many other districts are also lacking irrigation water due to the dry Lam River.