Many localities are implementing urgent measures to "hold out" until the end of the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop season, limiting losses for farmers.
In 2024, Dak Lak province recorded a total rainfall of 1,623 mm, 10% lower than the multi-year average. The situation became more critical when some areas such as Ea H'leo, Buon Don, and Krong Nang experienced rainfall deficits of 20-40%. By mid-April 2025, the average rainfall across the province was only 59.8 mm, 40-60% lower than the same period in previous years, increasing the risk of drought. Particularly in areas dependent on reservoir systems, localized water shortages have begun to have an impact.
According to Mr. Pham Quoc Tuan, Director of the Ea Sup District Irrigation Branch, the unit currently manages 7 reservoirs, with a total irrigated area of nearly 8,500 hectares, of which the Ea Sup Thuong reservoir ensures irrigation for 8,300 hectares.
The branch had to implement rotational irrigation from mid-March 2025 when the upper Ea Súp reservoir reached a critical level. To date, no drought-related damage has been recorded in the irrigated area, but the risk of water shortage at the end of the season in the communes of Ya Tờ Mốt, Ia Rvê, and Ea Bung is very high.
More worryingly, by mid-April 2025, the upper Ea Sup reservoir had fallen 1.7 meters below the dead water level, forcing the unit to consider using the reserve water in the lower Ea Sup reservoir for one more irrigation if there is still no rain by the end of April 2025.
Thanks to proactive drought prevention measures implemented from the beginning of the season, many rice fields in Ea Súp district are being harvested early, avoiding the risk of drought at the end of the season. |
Fortunately, at this time, in some fields of the Ea Súp border rice granary, farmers have begun harvesting early-ripening rice crops. Mr. Nguyen Tan Binh (Cu M'lan commune) breathed a sigh of relief as he safely weathered the dry season when his family's 1.5 hectares of ST25 rice were harvested, yielding nearly 10 tons per hectare. "Many late-season rice crops are worried because of the lack of irrigation water to sustain them until harvest. Farmers are trying to conserve irrigation water and hoping for an early rain," Mr. Binh said.
Mr. Tran Van Van (Hamlet 1, Ea Bung Commune) shared that since the beginning of the season, the irrigation branch and farmers have actively coordinated to use water efficiently, ensuring irrigation until the end of the season. However, the upper Ea Sup reservoir has also dried up, and many rice fields are not yet ready for harvest, causing considerable concern. He hopes that the weather will not be too hot in the coming days or that there will be enough rain to allow the fields to wait until harvest.
Faced with water resource challenges, Dak Lak's agricultural sector has proactively implemented various response measures.
Mr. Trinh Quoc Bao, Director of Dak Lak Irrigation Works Management Company Limited, said that right from the beginning of the season, the company proactively reviewed and checked the water source situation and irrigated area of each project to develop drought prevention and control plans.
At the same time, coordinate with local authorities to accelerate the planting schedule in areas at risk of water shortage, and resolutely reduce the irrigated area in projects that do not guarantee supply, such as Ea Nong reservoir (Vu Bon commune, Krong Pac district).
In addition, the company has instructed its branches to assign personnel to be constantly on duty at the irrigation sites during the period when sluice gates are open for irrigation, to practice water-saving irrigation, and to regulate water appropriately from the beginning of the season to prevent water loss.
Upper Ea Súp Lake has now completely dried up. |
Nevertheless, Mr. Bao also expressed concern about the long-term situation, as 32 reservoirs have run dry, with the upper Ea Sup reservoir already at a very low level; in the northern areas of the province, people are having to use well water to irrigate coffee because the smaller reservoirs have run dry.
“To date, the company has implemented drought prevention measures for 7 projects, covering a total area of over 1,000 hectares. Currently, the company is also closely monitoring weather conditions and water sources at these projects to provide timely guidance for irrigation during the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop season and to develop plans to best serve agricultural production for farmers,” Mr. Bao said.
According to data from the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Dak Lak currently has 69,360 hectares of short-term crops for the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring season and 373,772 hectares of perennial crops.
Given the increasing demand for irrigation water for crops during the dry season, the Department has requested localities to proactively adjust accordingly when water resources are insufficient to ensure adequate supply for essential needs (domestic use, livestock, perennial crops, etc.) and agricultural production for the entire 2024-2025 dry season.
At the same time, strengthen the dredging of water intakes and canal systems, raise the spillway threshold using sandbags; implement advanced, water-saving irrigation solutions for rice and dryland crops, ensuring that the minimum water requirements are met during water-sensitive periods for crops, especially fruit trees and high-value economic crops.
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/tin-noi-bat/202504/no-luc-vuot-qua-mua-kho-han-42c1afb/
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