Due to water shortage, hundreds of hectares of rice fields in Con Cuong cannot be planted.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Toai from Ke Sung village, Mau Duc commune, lamented: "My house has nearly 2,000 square meters."²"The rice paddies are currently waiting for water, but the streams and springs in the area have all dried up, while the seedlings are past their prime. There is a high risk of them having to be abandoned."

Many rice fields have been planted but are also facing a severe water shortage. Photo: Bá Hậu

To date, only 206 hectares of rice have been planted in Mau Duc commune, with 124 hectares of summer-autumn rice still awaiting water. If there is no rain in the coming period, the commune plans to switch to planting corn and other dryland crops, but this will also require waiting for rain before land preparation and planting can begin.

Mr. Ngan Van Duong, Vice Chairman of the Mau Duc Commune People's Committee, said: "In recent days, the commune has mobilized people to dredge streams and channel water to save rice crops, but we have only been able to supply water to nearly 100 hectares. Currently, the streams and springs in the area have dried up."

Although the rice seedlings are past their prime, they cannot be planted due to a lack of water. Photo: Minh Hạnh

In Thach Ngan commune, there are a total of 232 hectares of rice land, but so far only 25 hectares have been planted, leaving 159 hectares unplanted due to insufficient water. Given the current drought and water shortage, the planted rice is also unable to grow.

Mr. Lo Thanh Huan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thach Ngan commune, said: The commune has two main streams, Nam Cai stream and Can stream, which normally serve to irrigate 100 hectares, but are currently dry. At this time last year, the entire rice crop in the commune would have been fully irrigated, but this year only 25 hectares have been planted, and the rest are waiting for water.

This year, Con Cuong district has planted 2,302 hectares of rice during the summer-autumn crop season. Due to prolonged drought and the drying up of water sources from streams, lakes, and reservoirs, the summer-autumn rice crops are facing severe water shortages. Nearly 500 hectares of rice cannot be planted due to lack of water and are at risk of being abandoned or converted to other crops; this is concentrated in the left-bank communes such as Thach Ngan, Mau Duc, and Don Phuc.

The scorching heat not only hinders agricultural production but also affects the lives of hundreds of households. Currently, hundreds of households in the mountainous district of Con Cuong are facing a severe shortage of clean water, with wells having dried up. Their daily drinking and household water supply mainly relies on streams and springs.