VietNamNet Bridge – The water level of the Thach Nham barrage, the biggest irrigation work of Quang Ngai province has dropped to the deepest low, because the water has been taken away by the Dakdrink hydropower plant, which is going to operate soon.

Water getting exhausted

The water level was measured at 18.5 m at the barrage on March 23, though the dry season has just come. The southwestern parts of the reservoir areas were depleted to the bottom.

The water shortage is now threatening thousands of hectares of the winter-spring rice fields.

An operation worker of the Thach Nham Irrigation System said that in the past, the water level never went down to such a low level in March. He affirmed that the Dakdrink hydropower plant on the upper course has been taken away water to prepare for the electricity generation, which has led to the depletion in the lower course.

The representative of the Irrigation Development Company said the water shortage has put the thousands of hectares of rice fields in danger. There is no water for the fields once the Dakdrink River, the main water supply source to the Thach Nham irrigation work, has been blocked.

“The harvesting will only begin after one month. If the hydropower plant does not discharge water and if it does not rain, the rice fields will suffer,” he said.

“The water left in the dam is not enough to water the rice fields until the crop ends. Meanwhile, we have to prepare for the upcoming summer-autumn crop,” he added.

The information about the water shortage at Thach Nham, the biggest irrigation work of the province, has made local farmers embarrassed.

Thach Nham now covers the watering for 30,000 out of the total 70,000 hectares of rice and crops fields in six districts of Quang Ngai.

Nguyen Van Quang, Head of the Irrigational Station No. 1, located in Binh Son district, which provides water to 1,100 hectares of rice and crops fields, confirmed that as the water from the Thach Nham dam is too short, he has to cut down the water supply to some areas.

Hydropower plant refuses to discharge water

Nguyen Nhung, Director of the Quang Ngai provincial Irrigation Development Company, said the company suggested a meeting with the hydropower plant’s managers to discuss the water discharge.

According to him, Thach Nham not only provides water to 30,000 hectares of rice and crops fields in six of the 14 districts of the province, but it also a supply source for the Dung Quat Economic Zone (20-25 cubic meters per second). Therefore, once the dam gets absolutely depleted, Dung Quat would suffer as well.

However, the managers of the Dakdrink hydropower JSC could not attend at the meeting. Nguyen Dinh Tuan, Head of the General Affairs and Personnel Division of the company said the managers were busy to prepare to put the hydropower plant into operation, slated for the end of March.

This means that the irrigation work and local farmers still have to continue… waiting.

Dan Viet