Central Vietnam faces water shortages amid drought
Agricultural sector takes actions against drought

The biggest fresh lake in Hoai Nhon District – My Binh Lake – had its water level reached the dead level. This means over 5,000 households living in Tam Quan Bac Area in Hoai Nhon District is facing risk of water shortage. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Linh

According to the province’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department, more than 3,400ha of crops face water shortages and about 200ha of summer-autumn rice has died of the drought.

Quy Nhon City and the districts of Phu My, Hoai Nhon, Hoai An, Tay Son and Tuy Phuoc have been hit the hardest by drought as the affected cultivation areas ranged from 163ha to nearly 500ha.

Vo Duy Tin, vice head of Hoai An District’s Agriculture Division, said that almost all reservoirs in the district were dried up.

“The district has spent nearly VND3 billion (US$129,000) to take the little available water from small ponds and streams to cultivation areas,” he said, adding that all 66 pumping stations in the district operated all day to provide water for agriculture.

In Hoai An District, drought has lasted for more than a month, killing 200ha of rice, posing a risk of water shortages for 860ha of crops and leaving 160ha of cultivation land unused.

Le Trung Cang, deputy director of Binh Dinh Irrigation Works Management Ltd Company, said rivers and major dams in the north of Binh Dinh Province were dry and unable to provide water for farmers.

The company had used 13 mobile pumping machines to take water from ponds and streams for crops in Hoai Nhon District.

The province’s agricultural department also reported that about 4,000 households in the province did not have enough water for daily use, most of them in Phu My, Tuy Phuoc and Tay Son districts.

Le Van Toan, vice chairman of My Chanh Commune People’s Committee in Phu My District, said that some 2,100 households in the commune had suffered water shortages for the last few months.

Seventy-year-old La Van Hiep in My Chau Commune, Phu My District said this was the first time he saw the Tra O Lagoon dry up.

The biggest fresh lake in Hoai Nhon District – My Binh Lake – also had its water reached dead levels. This means more than 5,000 households living in Tam Quan Bac Area in Hoai Nhon District are at risk of water shortage.

Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh Province's People’s Committee Tran Chau told Vietnam News Agency that the agriculture department was reviewing the damage caused by the drought.

He said police and the army would carry clean water to people living in affected areas so they wouldn't have to buy water of unclear origin and risk catching diseases.

The central coastal province of Phu Yen has also been suffering hot weather and severe drought which might cause harvest losses, reported vov.vn.

The provincial People’s Committee has pushed all relevant agencies to help minimise the consequences of the drought.

So far, more than 4,000ha of rice has been badly affected by the prolonged drought, of which 1,000ha is at risk of being destroyed.

The drought is forecast to potentially worse by the end of August.

The province has asked the central Government to provide VND9.8 billion ($420,000) as aid to fight drought and saline water intrusion.

Phu Yen faces severe drought

The central coastal province of Phu Yen has been suffering hot weather and severe drought which might cause harvest losses, reported vov.vn.

Dong Cam Dam, the biggest irrigation source of Phu Yen Province, has to operate at full capacity to supply water for paddy fields. — Photo vov.vn

The provincial People’s Committee has pushed all relevant agencies to help minimise the consequences of the drought.

So far, more than 4,000ha of rice has been badly affected by the prolonged drought, of which 1,000ha is at risk of being destroyed.

Dong Cam Dam, the province’s biggest irrigation work in Phu Hoa District, has been operating at full capacity to supply water for paddy fields.

Severe drought caused paddy fields dried up. — Photo vov.vn

At present, water levels in hydropower reservoirs are very low.

“The water levels at Tam Dap, Ha Yen and Dong Kho dams are below the minimum level so we have to pump water from rivers to paddy fields,” said Nguyen Van Chien, vice director of Dong Cam Irrigation Company.

The provincial authority has asked Dong Cam Irrigation Company to work with other companies in the region to share water resources for irrigation, said Tran Huu The, vice chairman of Phu Yen People’s Committee.

The drought is forecast to potentially worse by the end of August.

The province has asked the central Government to provide VND9.8 billion (US$420,000) as aid to fight drought and saline water intrusion.

VNS