Cam Lo proactively plans to combat drought in summer-autumn crop

Currently, in Cam Lo district, large reservoirs managed by Gio Cam Ha Irrigation Enterprise have water levels of about 60% of their design capacity, but small reservoirs managed by local authorities have low water levels, depending heavily on additional water sources, especially small dams in Cam Thanh, Cam Chinh, and Cam Nghia. On the other hand, some projects are being upgraded and repaired, greatly affecting the management and operation of water regulation, so when drought occurs, it is easy to dry up, potentially leading to a lack of water for daily life and production in the summer-autumn crop of 2024. To ensure irrigation water supply for daily life and production, Cam Lo district has developed a proactive irrigation water source plan with the goal of saving water and raising awareness about drought-adaptive production and sustainable development.

Proactively watering to prevent drought for Solanum procumbens plants in Ban Chua, Cam Tuyen commune, Cam Lo district - Photo: NTH

According to the forecast of the Quang Tri Province Hydrometeorological Station, the El Nino phenomenon will continue from March to May with a probability of about 79%, then transition to La Nina from June to August with a probability of about 55%. The average temperature in the province is generally 1-2 degrees Celsius higher than the average of many years in the same cycle.

The heat wave comes earlier and appears more frequently and more severely; the total rainfall in the next 6 months is about 20-30% lower than the average of the same period in many years. In Cam Lo district, the irrigation areas managed by Gio Cam Ha Irrigation Enterprise such as Truc Kinh lake, Nghia Hy lake, Da Mai - Tan Kim lake and Cam Lo and Hieu Bac pumping stations basically ensure the ability to provide enough water. The lakes, dams and small irrigation works managed by the district such as Quat Xa pumping station, lake No. 7, Da La lake, small dams in Cam Thanh, Cam Chinh, Cam Nghia areas... irrigating about 250 hectares of rice, 50 hectares of vegetables, 150 industrial crops are forecasted to be at risk of water shortage, requiring additional water sources.

According to the 2024 summer-autumn agricultural production plan, the entire Cam Lo district will plant 1,422 hectares of rice, 225 hectares of crops, long-term industrial crops, and various fruit trees. Through review, the area likely to be affected by drought and water shortage is 105 hectares of rice and 165 hectares of crops, industrial crops, and fruit trees. The communes most likely to be affected by drought and water shortage are Cam Thanh with an area of about 100 hectares of crops, industrial crops, and fruit trees; Cam Nghia commune with about 30 hectares of rice and 25 hectares of crops, industrial crops, and fruit trees; Cam Hieu commune with about 30 hectares of rice and 15 hectares of crops, industrial crops, and fruit trees...

Based on the review of areas likely to be affected by drought and water shortage in the 2024 summer-autumn crop, Cam Lo district directed localities to coordinate with local irrigation management units to develop a water supply plan and organize water supply according to the established plan; implement concentrated planting and reasonable irrigation to save water, prioritizing water for irrigation during the rice panicle initiation and flowering stages. Strengthen inspection work to promptly adjust irrigation plans in accordance with weather developments and water resources.

Organize rotational irrigation for areas immediately after the end of the planting and sowing stages. Instruct people to store drinking water for daily use and for livestock; measures for sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization of barns, and prevention of diseases that often occur in livestock and poultry during the dry season.

Regarding construction solutions, organize irrigation work, clear the flow, repair and dredge canals and water intakes to ensure the best water transfer; maintain pumping stations well to be ready for irrigation, prepare spare pumps to be ready for support pumping. Mobilize resources to repair and upgrade damaged and degraded works.

Speed up the construction progress of irrigation works to soon put the works into operation to serve production. For some areas that are unable to regulate irrigation water sources such as the medicinal plant growing area in Ban Chua, Cam Tuyen commune, Cam Lo district, 3 wells have been supported to pump water for irrigation to combat drought in the summer-autumn crop of 2024.

Along with water-saving solutions, Cam Lo district focuses on solutions to convert crop structures to adapt to drought. It is expected that the entire district will convert single-crop rice land or land with water shortage but sufficient moisture to sesame and mung bean land with an area of 6 hectares (Cam Chinh commune 2 hectares; Cam Nghia 2 hectares; Cam Hieu 1 hectare; Cam Lo town 1 hectare). Promote the introduction of short-term, medium-term, drought-tolerant rice varieties into summer-autumn crop production.

Training and transferring technical advances into production, especially solutions for converting varieties and crop structures so that all people know and apply them, ensuring income in drought conditions. Strengthening information and propaganda work to raise awareness of local authorities and people in strictly implementing laws in the agricultural sector, strictly complying with variety structures and crop schedules in the production process; updating developments of natural disasters, epidemics and timely response measures.

The 2024 dry season is starting. By early reviewing and developing plans for domestic water supply and summer-autumn crop production, Cam Lo district has proactively responded to the drought situation, ensuring that the 2024 summer-autumn crop agricultural production is successful and highly effective in the direction of increasing added value and sustainable development.

Khanh Ngoc

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