Tens of thousands of hectares of crops are withering in the drought, thousands of households are struggling every day with a lack of water for daily use, but it seems that God still does not understand the hardships of the people here.
Never before has the drought been as severe as this year! Although some localities in the province have had thunderstorms, in the highland districts such as Muong Khuong and Simacai, there has been almost no rain since the beginning of the year. Therefore, tens of thousands of hectares of crops are withering in the drought, and thousands of households are struggling with a lack of water for daily use.
Ta Gia Khau Commune - the "dry Truong Sa" of Muong Khuong District continues to struggle with the drought these days. In any stream in the area, no matter how small, you can see people diligently using plastic cans to stand for hours to collect water for daily use. Mr. Sung Seo Chu in Ta Gia Khau village, the "thirstiest" place in Ta Gia Khau commune, said that every day he and many people have to travel several kilometers to carry water for daily use, especially some poor households without motorbikes have to carry it by hand with great difficulty. "The water sources stored in tanks in the area have all dried up, there is even no water left to get. If the drought continues, we do not know where to get water for our daily lives," Mr. Chu worried.
In May 2023, the Ta Gia Khau commune government requested the provincial police to use specialized vehicles to support the transportation of clean water to pump into the reservoirs of schools in the commune to serve the daily life of teachers and students at the end of the school year. “Because we have to depend entirely on rainwater, while the amount of water storage tanks for daily life is limited, the local government has focused on propagating and mobilizing households and schools to use water economically; implementing reasonable water collection measures to share, ensuring harmony of water sources between villages, prioritizing the essential needs of domestic water for the people. Along with that, urgently clean water containers to be ready to store water when it rains,” said Mr. Hoang Sao Chan, Vice Chairman of the Ta Gia Khau Commune People's Committee.
According to statistics, in Muong Khuong district, there are nearly 100 domestic water supply works that have run out of water. Meanwhile, water tanks in the communes of Din Chin, Ta Gia Khau, Pha Long, and Ta Ngai Cho are all below the dead water level or are exhausted.
The drought has also put tens of thousands of hectares of food crops such as rice and corn of the people in the highlands of Lao Cai at risk of total loss or low productivity. Looking at his family's rice fields cracked by the drought, with rice plants no taller than a hand span withering in the sun, Mr. Cu A Lu in Mu Trang Phin village, Can Cau commune, Simacai district could not help but feel sad and worried.
“The rice has been planted for more than 2 months, but the drought has caused the fields to dry and crack, so the rice plants have not been able to develop roots and have not yet produced branches. It is estimated that there are only about 2 months left until harvest, but with this situation, there will probably be nothing to harvest. Some areas have been prepared, but the soil is too dry to plant, so I have to let the seedlings dry out and throw them away,” Mr. Lu lamented.
Not only Lu's family, but also the entire field of several dozen hectares in Mu Trang Phin village, Can Cau commune, shares the same fate. The rice fields are dry and cracked, but the rain has not yet come. The rice seedlings planted the day before are still intact, some have begun to turn yellow and wilt. With areas that cannot be planted anymore, many households have considered switching to other crops, but it is not easy, because they have to choose the right crop for the drought and the cropping season.
According to statistics, Si Ma Cai district has 400 ha/1,800 ha of rice; over 330 ha of corn and over 91 ha of cinnamon damaged by drought (of which over 219 ha of corn was damaged at over 70%). For fruit trees, medicinal plants, and spice plants (total area of about 1,500 ha) with immeasurable damage, it is estimated that the output will decrease by over 70% compared to 2022.
Mr. Luu Dinh Hanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Si Ma Cai district, said that in the face of the prolonged drought, the People's Committee of the district has directed localities to propagate and raise awareness of drought prevention work; plan water use in order of priority: domestic water, drinking water for livestock, irrigation water for high-value crops; guide people on crop conversion plans (it is expected that more than 300 hectares of rice will have to be converted to dry crops); stop production for areas that do not have enough irrigation water; implement conversion of crop varieties and appropriate crop seasons.
Drought has caused a lot of damage in almost all localities in the province with different levels of severity. According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lao Cai province, from the beginning of 2023 to now, drought has caused about 938 hectares of crops in the province to die or not be harvested; more than 3,660 hectares of crops have reduced productivity due to lack of water. Of which, the area of spring rice with a rate of over 70% is 71 hectares, the area of corn that does not produce ears and has empty grains is 867 hectares. Drought has also caused more than 9,000 households in the province to have a serious shortage of domestic water.
Currently, in the province, the hot weather continues, rainfall is very low, causing water resources to dry up, seriously affecting the lives of people and many hectares of crops and livestock.
It is forecasted that the hot weather will continue in the coming time. Therefore, the damage to crops and the difficulties that people are facing will not stop. The severe consequences caused by drought make us more aware of the significance of planting, caring for and protecting forests to preserve water resources. Along with that, sectors and localities need to have plans to build irrigation works, reservoirs and tanks in areas at high risk of drought. People need to use water resources scientifically, in accordance with actual conditions, and be ready to implement plans to convert crops and livestock.
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