After two periods of pumping water, Hà Nội by Thursday afternoon had water for only 63.2 per cent of rice fields, lower than expected, according to the Hà Nội Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).

A farmer ploughs a field in Hà Nội’s suburban area. The capital city may face a water shortage after the Tết holiday. 

If localities did not pay enough attention and care during the third period of pumping water, which lasts from early today until next Monday, 23 districts and towns of the capital city could lack water for their spring crop, the department said.

Five irrigation enterprises in the capital city said that the reason for the problem was that the water level in the Hồng (Red) River had not reached the expected level. Specifically, to pump water to the Phù Sa Station, the water level in the Hồng River should be 5.2 metres, but in fact was only at 4.7 metres.

On the other hand, residents in Đông Anh, Sóc Sơn, Gia Lâm and Hoài Đức districts did not harvest their winter rice and planned to start their spring crop late, after the Tết (Lunar New Year) festival, so the pumping stations cannot pump water to the fields, and pumped it to rivers, ponds, lakes for storage instead.

Experts from the Directorate of Water Resources under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that in the second period of pumping, Hòa Bình, Tuyên Quang and Thác Bà reservoirs discharged more than 2.5 billion cubic metres of water. However, due to illegal sand exploitation, the Hồng River’s banks had eroded and the riverbed widened, leaving the water level low.

To use water from reservoirs effectively in the last period of pumping water and ensure enough water for the spring crop, the Hà Nội DARD has worked with five irrigation enterprises and 13 districts with low water.

The department asked the five enterprises to set up different options, propose detailed measures and pay more care to the areas facing difficulties related to water resources including Phúc Thọ, Thạch Thất and Quốc Oai districts.

The department requested district authorities to work closely with irrigation enterprises to give guidance to local farmers in using water properly. Fields’ banks should be repaired to prevent water leaking. — VNS