Many irrigation lakes in Kon Tum dry up

At Ta Kang irrigation lake (Dien Binh commune, Dak To district), the lake surface, which used to be tens of thousands of square meters wide, now only has a dry, cracked bottom and a few small puddles left. People in villages 1, 4 and 5 are having a hard time, taking turns pumping the rare remaining water from the lake bed into their coffee gardens.

Mr. Dong Van Tuoi (Dien Binh commune) worried: “My family has 3 hectares of coffee, but after only irrigating 2.5 hectares, the lake has dried up. If the situation continues, the risk of crop failure is very high, not to mention that the irrigated area will also have its productivity significantly affected.” Mr. Tuoi said that Ta Kang lake had a similar situation 4 years ago. The people’s repeated requests to upgrade the lake have not received a response.

In the same situation, at irrigation lake A2 in Dak Mar commune, Dak Ha district, the water level has also dropped by more than half.

According to Kon Tum Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited, there are currently 5 key irrigation works including Tan Dien Lake, Ca Tien Lake, Kon Trang Kla Dam, Ta Rop Pumping Station and Ta Wac, all of which are facing water shortages. It is forecasted that in the coming time, if the hot weather lasts until May 2025, about 1,827 hectares of crops, especially in Kon Tum City and districts such as Dak Ha, Sa Thay, Ngoc Hoi, Dak Glei, Kon Ray, Dak To will face the risk of severe drought. Particularly in Ia H'Drai District, areas without proactive water sources such as Ia Dom, Ia Dal, Ia Toi will be at very high risk of drought.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dan, Deputy Director of Kon Tum Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited, commented: “Although it is only March, this year’s drought has come early and is complicated. If there is no additional rain by the end of March, widespread drought will be inevitable.”

According to the Department of Irrigation and Water Resources, Department of Agriculture and Environment, currently in the area there are about 380 hectares of rice, industrial crops, and vegetables that are seriously lacking irrigation water, especially in the irrigation areas of Tan Dien Lake, Ca Tien Lake and Ta Wac and Ta Rop pumping stations.

Faced with the above situation, the Department has issued a document requesting localities to urgently implement many solutions such as monitoring and regulating water resources reasonably, making the most of natural water resources, establishing temporary dams and using pumps to support irrigation for crops, in order to minimize damage to people in the upcoming dry season.

Trong Trien

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/nhieu-ho-thuy-loi-o-kon-tum-kho-can-post543359.html