Concerns about livelihoods in drought-hit Ham Thuan Nam area

Now, the Ta Mon lake bed is cracked and dry. Meanwhile, in the Ham Can and My Thanh ethnic areas, drought is taking away the livelihood of every household and every person…

Meet the people who lost their land for the formation of Ka Pet Lake

Although it was early in the morning, there were quite a lot of people gathered at the My Thanh Commune Cultural House that day. There were 25 households in total, all of whom had production land in the Ka Pet reservoir project area, and would lose their land for the upcoming construction of the irrigation reservoir. Therefore, the meeting that day was not only for them to meet and receive gifts from the working group organized by the Department of Information and Communications in coordination with a number of related departments and agencies, but also for us to better understand the life of the agricultural production area in the drought-stricken area, the reservoir project area. And they themselves were witnesses to it all, through their faces, their aspirations and the length of a hard life in the thirsty area.

On those faces, that small stature exuded a lifetime of hardship, anxiety about the difficulties of livelihood they are facing. Drought is taking away their livelihoods day by day. Worrying about food, clothing, and money when people seem to have no work in the dry season, while the fields have to be abandoned due to drought and lack of water. Therefore, any support, no matter how little or much, at this time is a great encouragement for people in drought-affected areas. When receiving the gifts from the delegation, they smiled, expressing joy because at least in the coming days they will have living expenses. Most of these households are Rai ethnic people, living in village 1, My Thanh commune. The commune has more than 20,600 hectares of natural land, and is considered one of the driest and most difficult places in Ham Thuan Nam district, and is also the "foothold" of Ka Pet reservoir, as there are 2 rivers flowing here, Po stream. Ó (Bom Bi stream) and Ba Bich river in local language.

*The bed of the Ba Bich River is bare of sand and rocks.*

Among those households, I spoke to Mr. Tran Ngoc Ngang, village 1, My Thanh commune. He is one of the owners of 2 hectares of old cashew trees in the production area near the Ba Bich river located in the project area. Mr. Ngang shared: "During the rainy season, my family grows corn and cassava mixed with cashew trees. But this dry season, the cashew trees are barren, with poor harvests, only a few fruits, and the flowers are withered." Mr. Ngang shared that the difficulty due to lack of water has lasted for many years, so he hopes that the Ka Pet lake project will be implemented soon. When the state reclaims the production land, the people will have no land to produce, so they hope to change their economy.

Sharing the same concerns and difficulties with the drought, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyen - another household with land for production in the Ka Pet project area expressed: "The drought has been prolonged, people are lacking drinking water, no water for production, which means no jobs, no income. The land here is only used to grow corn and cassava in the rainy season. In the dry season, the land is cracked due to drought, so it is left unused, people can only go far away to work for hire."

*Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyen shares her concerns about her livelihood.*

As for those who do not have land to produce crops, like Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huyet in Hamlet 1, My Thanh Commune, whom we met on the way to the forest, we learned that this dry season the whole forest is dry, making it difficult to make a living. Every day, Mrs. Huyet goes into the forest from around 7am to 5pm, with a basket, a sickle and a bottle of water. Exhausted from the journey, she and her neighbors search for anything in the forest that can be eaten to get through the day. The dry season means that the only "products" they collect are a few pieces of bee pollen, or bundles of betel leaves, lime leaves, and bamboo shoots to make food, or sell for money. Some people take whole termite nests from forest trees to feed their chickens. Some days are too sunny, there is not enough water to drink, so they leave the forest earlier than planned. When they return home at night, they carry cans to ponds and lakes that still have water to bring home for daily use...

*People have no choice but to make a living in the forest during the dry season but they don't get much.*

*After half a day, the "product" obtained was only a small beehive.*

When asked about the future of the Ka Pet reservoir in the locality, everyone's face lightened up with the dream of changing their lives. With water, dragon fruit will be grown, livestock will be raised... The story of only over 280 households, My Thanh has 188 poor and near-poor households, and will soon become a thing of the past.

*People go to ponds and lakes to get water for daily use.*

Create more livelihoods

We continued to walk several kilometers under the scorching sun to reach Ba Bich River, which will be the water intake point for Ka Pet Lake and the main construction project. Instead of the clear gurgling sound of water in the rainy season, the river now appeared to me as a complete contrast. As Mr. Tran Ngoc Quang - Vice Chairman of My Thanh Commune People's Committee said when he was there: "In the rainy season, the water flows rapidly and dangerously but cannot hold water. In the dry season, after only a short time, it becomes arid and bare of sand." And right in the bed of Ba Bich River when we arrived, there was the sound of engines, drilling machines and a group of workers still working hard. When asked, we learned that they were a group of people conducting geological surveys to serve the project's progress.

*Abandoned fields due to drought in My Thanh commune seen from above.*

Perhaps the first impacts of machinery on this drought-stricken land are opening up hope that the Ka Pet reservoir will soon take shape and form... At that time, thousands of hectares of land in the district will be supplied with irrigation water, people will be supplied with domestic water, the environment will be improved, the ecological environment in the downstream area will be improved, contributing to the development of tourism and services in the province. When there is a lake, irrigation water, along with the attention of the Party, the State and authorities at all levels, the issue of taking care of the livelihoods of local people through National Target Programs, loan policies or technical training courses... will be even more focused on, so that people have a "fishing rod" to improve their lives and escape poverty sustainably. By then, it is certain that the legitimate aspirations for long-term livelihoods of the people of Ham Thuan Nam in general and the two communes of Ham Can and My Thanh in particular will be easier.

*Geological exploration drilling at Ba Bich riverbed.*

During the trip with our delegation, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc - Vice Chairman of Ham Thuan Nam District People's Committee believed that: "Investing in irrigation works in the area will create conditions for socio-economic development of the people in general and ethnic minorities in particular. Currently, the Central and the province have paid attention to investing in the locality in the Ka Pet lake project, for many years they have completed the procedures, and now the basic investment preparation stage has been completed. If Ka Pet lake is completed on time and put into use soon, it will ensure the source of domestic water and irrigation water for the people. Therefore, the locality hopes that the province and the Central will pay attention to urging the departments and branches to complete the documents and start the project as soon as possible".

*Ta Mon Lake has been dry and cracked for a month now.*

The sun was shining overhead! The sun in the drought-stricken Ham Thuan Nam region became increasingly intense, leaving only the last drops of water in the water bottles they brought with them. In this weather, people in Ham Can and My Thanh on their way to the forest and fields to make a living had to carefully save every drop of water they drank so they wouldn't have to leave early because of thirst. This is not new in this season here, because 2 years ago, I also witnessed it and wrote an article with the title "Ka Pet's Wish". And until now, before the severe drought, people still keep wishing for an irrigation project called Ka Pet Lake. The only difference is that it will come true in the not too distant future...