Focus on drought prevention, speed up summer-autumn crop production progress

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of June 1, comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired a working session with the sectors to inspect and direct measures to respond to drought.

Attending the meeting were comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Provincial Party Committee member, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Representatives of leaders of relevant departments, branches and units; leaders of People's Committees of districts: Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc, Vinh City.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong and the inspection team of Hung Chau - Hung Nguyen Pumping Station

Inspection of the New Nam Dan Sluice Construction

Checking the construction of the downstream part of the Nam Dan culvert canal

Recently, the weather in the province has been complicated, with prolonged heat and strong southwest winds occurring over a wide area with common temperatures ranging from 39 to 41 degrees Celsius.⁰C. Water levels in rivers, streams, and dams are low, drought is widespread and there is a risk of deep saltwater intrusion. Currently, the water source situation for the Summer-Autumn crop production is very difficult. Water levels in lakes are low, especially reservoirs managed by local authorities. Many lakes have dried up, such as: small reservoirs in Nam Dan district, Tan Ky district, Vung Cau, Vung Trang, Dong Trai, Thung Mon, Khe Tre lakes (Nghi Loc district)... Water levels on Lam river are low, from -0.2 - 0.15m/design 1.1.5m, so pumping stations taking water through Nam Dan sluice of Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc, Vinh city are facing many difficulties.

Inspection team of Le Xuan Dao - Hung Nguyen canal

Drought field inspection team in Hung Thang commune - Hung Nguyen

Faced with that situation, the Government, the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have issued documents urging and directing drought prevention work; have organized information and propaganda about the water shortage situation and recommended economical water use on mass media; Localities and units have organized dredging of canals and repairing irrigation works.

According to the forecast of the Regional Hydrometeorological Forecasting Center, the severe heat wave will continue in the coming time, so drought and water shortage will occur early (right from the beginning of the season) and may last throughout June and July and over a large area.

Inspection team of damming Cam River to retain fresh water for production

Thanks to the increase in mobile pumps, Nam Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. can provide timely water for production.

At the working session, representatives of leaders of Departments, branches, units, People's Committees of districts and cities proposed: The Provincial People's Committee reviews, evaluates, and balances the water source capacity to arrange crops for the Summer-Autumn crop in accordance with the specific conditions of the locality, on that basis, directs the conversion of crop structure and crop season appropriately, areas that do not have enough water for irrigation throughout the crop must switch to planting other crops, in order to ensure planting the entire area and food output as planned; Review the Water Service Plan for the Summer-Autumn crop in 2015; Focus on all measures to provide irrigation water for agricultural production; Proactively mobilize forces, equipment, field pumps, oil pumps, to take advantage of water sources from dams, rivers and streams to be ready to pump against drought; Arrange funds to install field pumps, drought-resistant fuel, and dredge canals to serve drought-resistant work.

Concluding the working session, comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee acknowledged the efforts of all levels and sectors in fighting drought to serve Summer-Autumn production, and emphasized:

The immediate task is for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and related sectors to closely monitor the weather and climate developments and the situation of water shortages and droughts; Coordinate closely with the North Central Hydrometeorological Station to grasp forecast information on water levels and droughts; Direct and guide localities to effectively implement measures to prevent and combat droughts and protect production; Have plans to convert crop structures appropriately such as short-term rice varieties PC6, VF1... Coordinate with the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to direct the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Irrigation LLCs to strictly manage water resources, prevent leakage and water loss in reservoirs, distribute water reasonably and effectively; Have a specific irrigation schedule and organize rotational irrigation to save water; Direct coordination between irrigation management units and electricity agencies to ensure timely electricity supply to serve water pumping.

In the coming time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will take the lead in coordinating with other departments, branches and connecting with provincial, ministerial and central levels to establish a project to implement as soon as possible two projects: Preventing salinity and keeping fresh water on Cam River and building a forced pumping station to supply water to the lower canal; Implementing the project to prevent salinity and keep fresh water on Lam River to serve the two regions of Southern Nghe An and Northern Ha Tinh.

The Department of Industry and Trade inspects and directs hydropower projects to discharge water to ensure the process and water demand in the downstream of Ca River; Ban Ve Hydropower Company and Khe Bo Hydropower Company prioritize water discharge to serve production in 2015, ensuring the water level in the downstream of Ca River for pumping stations to operate; Nghe An Electricity prioritizes electricity supply to pumping stations to proactively fight drought; Irrigation LLCs closely coordinate with localities, direct rotational irrigation, water pressure to ensure water for the end of the canal; For dam reservoir areas, specifically calculate the amount of water, number of irrigations, on that basis, manage irrigation to ensure plant growth and development, save water and pay attention to water for the rice-bearing and flowering period. Agricultural and forestry companies, enterprises, farms and forestry farms direct the implementation of water-saving irrigation measures; Provincial departments, branches and sectors, according to their functions and tasks, proactively coordinate with localities to effectively implement drought prevention and control work; Press agencies closely coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to have a plan to propagate drought prevention and control work to localities and people.

Previously, the working delegation led by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duong - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee inspected the implementation at Hung Chau Pumping Station, Le Xuan Dao Canal, Nam Dan Sluice, Cam River and fields in 4 localities: Vinh City, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen and Nam Dan.

Pumping station in Hung Nguyen operates with difficulty due to lack of water source

Le Xuan Dao Canal in Hung Nguyen is running out of water.

Hoang Vinh