Wind up
The Huong River Sluice (Thanh Ha) is a key irrigation project in Hai Duong province. The sluice plays an important role in irrigation but is always lurking with worries every time there are storms in the rainy season. This is the source of tidal water from the Van Uc River, irrigating and making more than 19,000 hectares of fields and gardens in the two districts of Thanh Ha and Nam Sach flourish. When the rainy season comes, the Huong River sluice is the place to collect water from 21.5 km of internal canals, flowing to the outer river to protect crops. Despite its great contribution, over the past few decades, the Huong River sluice has only been repaired patchily and on a small scale without any major investment or upgrade. Therefore, for many years, the Huong River sluice has been considered a key point because incidents can arise at any time.
Mr. Dang Van Thanh in Lien Mac commune (Thanh Ha) has been working at the Huong River sluice for nearly 20 years. Although the days until his retirement are numbered, he is still thinking and worrying about the arduous work of guarding the sluice. Rolling up his sleeves and eagerly checking every detail and part of the sluice, Mr. Thanh said that the Huong River sluice must be the largest in the province and one of the oldest and most outdated. In the past, the sluice operated by winch, but now it operates hydraulically, so it is less difficult for the workers. Even so, it still takes nearly an hour to close or open the 3 sluice gates. However, because it was built a long time ago, incidents often occur during the process of closing and opening the sluice.
“I remember most in 2005 when I was assigned to manage and look after the Huong River sluice gate, there was a period of heavy and prolonged rain. Water rushed in and poured down right when the sluice gate was having problems opening and closing. Everyone was busy and hurried, and when the sluice gate was closed, the water overflowed, and everyone was busy shoveling sand to prevent the overflow. During the rainy and stormy season, the sluice gate keepers worked without any schedule or time, always having to be mentally prepared to take on the task,” Mr. Thanh shared.
“Human power is not enough”, after this statement, Mr. Pham Quang Tien, Head of Dong Trang Irrigation Cluster, clicked his tongue and sighed when talking about the operation of Dong Trang sluice (Tu Ky). Dong Trang sluice was built in the 50s of the 20th century, at the same time as the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system was built. The water source from this sluice gate will serve 17 irrigation pumping stations in Tu Ky district, 11 pumping stations in Gia Loc district and 2 pumping stations in Hai Duong city. Dong Trang sluice also ensures self-drainage for more than 2,000 hectares of agricultural production. Taking on the task of irrigation requires urgency and timeliness, but this sluice still has to be operated manually, which takes a lot of time and effort.
Currently, to close or open Dong Trang sluice gate, it takes 5,000 rotations by 10 people, equivalent to 2-3.5 hours. Meanwhile, the developments and impacts of storms are increasingly unpredictable, and even a momentary delay can cause serious consequences. Therefore, sluice gate keepers must always be proactive and ready for any situation. Not only do they have to mobilize many people, but manually closing and opening sluice gates is very complicated. If there is no close coordination, dangerous incidents can easily occur.
Mr. Tien said that operating the sluice gate must be done at the right time and at the right water level. If the water level difference is large, it will create high pressure, making it very difficult to operate the sluice gate. Manual operation requires strength but must be even, the sluice gate must be lowered or raised rhythmically, avoiding warping. Mr. Tien said that there were days when the sluice gate was closed in the morning to retain water, and in the afternoon the sluice gate had to be opened to lower the water level of the main canal, in case of heavy rain. Each time the sluice gate was closed or opened, it was very hard work, but because of the task, everyone had to try their best. In addition, the sluice gate often had minor problems, so the sluice gate keeper sometimes also worked as a repairman.
Step by step upgrade
Although they are also responsible for managing and operating irrigation works, compared to pumping station workers, sluice gate keepers need to accumulate more skills and experience in monitoring tides and water levels to ensure reasonable and timely sluice gate regulation. In addition, large sluice gates are often built next to outer rivers and downstream, so salinity is likely to occur. Therefore, sluice gate keepers must always check the water quality before leading water into the main canal system.
Each sluice gatekeeper must know the tide calendar by heart, and look at the moon to recognize the time of high tide. At the Huong River sluice gate, Mr. Thanh often uses the water level at Pha Lai (Thai Binh River), Gua Ferry (Gua River) and Hon Dau (Hai Phong) as a basis for calculating the ebb and flow of the tide, from which he proposes a suitable sluice gate operation plan, ensuring an effective and timely source of irrigation water and drainage support. As a key sluice gate, the Huong River sluice gate is assigned 10 people to manage and operate, including sluice gatekeepers and engineers. However, when there is heavy rain, everyone becomes a sluice gatekeeper, each person has a stage and process to safely close and open the sluice gate.
Mr. Thanh shared: “The Huong River sluice has 3 sluice gates. When closing and opening, each gate must be opened and closed, which is time-consuming and sometimes results in missing the appropriate time to prevent flooding or draining. Therefore, everyone wants the sluice gate operation to be improved to make the sluice gate opening and closing more convenient. Only then will the regulation of water flowing through the sluice gates be as effective as expected and the sluice gate keepers will have less trouble.”
In addition to the outdated, manually opened and closed sluices, in the province there are some sluices operated by electricity, which are quick, convenient, and meet the requirements of natural disaster prevention. Doan Thuong sluice (Gia Loc) is assigned to female staff to manage and operate because the sluice opening and closing is simple. Ms. Pham Thi Huyen has worked here for many years, from when the sluice was small and outdated until now when it has been newly invested and built, operating with only one operation. Ms. Huyen said that in the past, it took 6-7 people and exactly 3 hours and 15 minutes to be able to close or open the sluice gate. Meanwhile, the rain and floods are unusual and sudden, so the flood prevention is very passive, stressful, and sometimes there is no time to react.
Doan Thuong sluice provides water for more than 3,000 hectares of agricultural land in Gia Loc district and drains water from the Thach Khoi-Doan Thuong canal to Gia Loc district and Hai Duong city. Since 2015, the sluice has been upgraded and uses electricity to operate, so every time the sluice is opened or closed, there is no need to mobilize people as before and the time is shortened. "Now it only takes 15 minutes to open or close the sluice. Because I am luckier than many other people in managing and operating the sluice, I always tell myself to do a good job with the assigned work," Ms. Huyen said excitedly.
Gia Loc District has 6 irrigation sluices that have been installed with electric operating systems, creating convenience for those assigned to manage and protect them. Mr. Bui Trong Duc, Deputy Director of the District Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise, affirmed that the role of the sluices is not inferior to that of the dynamic pumping stations. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to each step of investment so that the sluices operate effectively and smoothly, reducing the pressure on natural disaster prevention and reducing the hardship for the sluice keepers.
The province has nearly 600 culverts under the dike and thousands of large and small culverts in the fields performing the task of gravity irrigation. The culvert system serving gravity irrigation helps save costs compared to operating a dynamic pumping station, but most of the province's culverts were built a long time ago, and some have degraded, causing significant disadvantages for water regulation. The culvert keepers in charge of these culverts must overcome difficulties, persevere, and persevere in their work to be able to meet the task of irrigation and the requirements of natural disaster prevention. However, in the long term, it is still necessary to upgrade and renovate the culvert system in the whole province synchronously. Only then can we ensure safety for agricultural production as well as for the people who directly operate the culverts.
STRONGSource: https://baohaiduong.vn/thu-cong-mua-mua-bao-390331.html
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