Developing a synchronous irrigation system, developing sustainable agriculture

Long An province has continuously paid attention to and invested in building irrigation systems.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, up to now, the province has 5,452 irrigation works, serving irrigation for more than 301,145 hectares of agricultural land. Of which, the provincial level manages 393 works, the district level manages 5,059 works.

In addition, important irrigation works such as the Dau Tieng – Phuoc Hoa system and the Dong Tien – Lagrange inter-provincial canal of Dong Thap – Long An are directly managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Currently, the canal and ditch network in the province has a total length of more than 9,911km, including 399km of main canals, more than 4,813km of level I canals, more than 3,744km of level II canals and more than 954.5km of intra-field canals. This system plays an important role in water supply, irrigation, drought prevention and water resource regulation for agricultural production.

In addition, the province also has 873 irrigation sluices, 282km of dykes to prevent saltwater intrusion, floods and high tides, and 240 electric pumping stations. Thanks to the synchronous development of the irrigation system, the area of ​​agricultural land that is actively irrigated reaches more than 90%.

According to the Standing Committee Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Minh Lam, thanks to the focus on investment in irrigation development, up to now, the whole province has 160/160 communes (100%) completing the criteria on irrigation and natural disaster prevention and control according to the New Rural Commune Criteria Set. Of which, 137/160 communes (85.6%) have met this criterion according to the Advanced New Rural Commune Criteria Set. At the same time, all 13 districts in the province have also completed this criterion according to the New Rural District Criteria Set.

Completing the irrigation criteria not only helps improve disaster prevention and control capacity but also creates an important foundation for developing sustainable agricultural production and improving the lives of people in rural areas.

In order to ensure water resources for production and people's lives in the 2024-2025 dry season, the province has recently directed all levels and sectors to survey and assess the current status of the irrigation system and deploy timely response solutions.

According to the assessment, important irrigation works have been invested and upgraded to increase water storage capacity, prevent salinity and regulate water effectively. The province has also implemented dredging of canals and ditches, regularly checked salinity, and updated weather forecast information to have appropriate response plans.

In addition, localities have proactively zoned off areas, made plans to build temporary dams, and installed field pumping stations to pump and store water when necessary. At the same time, the province has also stepped up propaganda and instructed people to take advantage of getting fresh water when salinity levels decrease, avoiding water shortages when sluices have to be closed to prevent salinity.

Along with that, the work of checking and reinforcing weak dykes, embankments, and key culverts is carried out regularly to promptly detect and handle incidents and prevent saltwater intrusion into the fields.

The whole province currently has 240 electric pumping stations serving production.

The achievements in developing the irrigation system are a testament to Long An’s determination and efforts in improving its capacity to prevent and combat natural disasters, protect agricultural production and people’s lives. The synchronous and effective investment in irrigation infrastructure has made an important contribution to the sustainable development of agriculture and the construction of new rural areas in the locality.

In the coming time, the province will continue to focus resources and mobilize capital to upgrade and complete the irrigation system, ensuring a stable water supply, adapting to climate change and serving agricultural production as well as people's lives./.

Le Duc

Source: https://baolongan.vn/phat-trien-he-thong-thuy-loi-dong-bo-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-ben-vung-a192458.html