Save water to cope with drought

Ensure irrigation water for winter-spring crop

Mr. Nguyen Anh Khoa, Deputy General Director of Binh Thuan Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited, said that in the 2024-2025 winter-spring crop, the company will irrigate 33,429 hectares of rice, basically ensuring the set plan. To date, people have harvested more than 11,200 hectares; the area with completed water supply is nearly 6,800 hectares and 16,429 hectares are still being irrigated. The company ensures that no rice area is lacking water.

Recently, Binh Thuan Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited has regulated irrigation water to serve production effectively. Photo: KS.

“To ensure irrigation water for the winter-spring crop, we have directed the company's affiliated units to strengthen water resource management, coordinate water reasonably, and make full use of water sources discharged after the Dai Ninh and Ham Thuan hydropower plants. At the same time, we have developed a water supply plan from irrigation systems, assigned water supply schedules for each canal, and coordinated with water use groups to regulate irrigation water economically and effectively. In addition, we have also accelerated the maintenance of the works, especially dredging and clearing the flow of canals to serve irrigation and water supply. Thanks to that, the water source is still guaranteed at a high level compared to the same period last year,” Mr. Khoa said.

According to Dai Ninh Hydropower Company, in the first 3 months of 2025, the Company has provided water as agreed upon at the working session with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) and Binh Thuan Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited with a generator flow rate of 12-16m3/s. This amount of water is supplied to Song Luy irrigation reservoir (Bac Binh district) to provide domestic water as well as agricultural production for Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Bac districts and Phan Thiet city.

In the coming time, the company will continue to harmonize the goal of both generating electricity to ensure electricity supply for the remaining months of the dry season in 2025, while providing enough water according to local requirements.

Need to use water economically

According to Mr. Khoa, as of April 7, the amount of useful water in the lakes in the province was over 176 million m3, reaching 48.8% of the design, 68 million m3 higher than the same period. The amount of water stored in Dai Ninh hydroelectric reservoir was over 153 million m3, reaching 60.9% of the design, 22.4 million m3 higher than the same period; Ham Thuan hydroelectric reservoir was over 310 million m3, reaching 59.5% of the design, 12.2 million m3 higher than the same period.

Currently, irrigation reservoirs in Binh Thuan province have higher water levels than last year. Photo: KS.

According to Mr. Phan Van Tan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Binh Thuan, the water source at irrigation reservoirs and 2 hydroelectric reservoirs will ensure domestic water supply for people until June 30. At the same time, it will meet the irrigation needs of the summer-autumn crop in 2025 as planned with a total area of ​​over 46,100 hectares, of which rice and other crops are over 30,700 hectares, dragon fruit is over 12,800 hectares, fruit trees are over 2,100 hectares and aquaculture is over 400 hectares.

However, weather developments are increasingly complex and unpredictable, so it is necessary to be proactive in preventing and combating drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Phan Van Tan said that it is necessary to propagate to people in the province to proactively use water economically and implement measures to respond to drought and water shortage.

Binh Thuan Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited continues to speed up the repair of works, water intake culverts, irrigation pumping stations, especially dredging and clearing the flow, ensuring clear canals to bring water for production.

Binh Thuan Irrigation Works Exploitation Company will closely monitor weather developments to proactively adjust water supply plans in accordance with reality, following the principle of prioritizing domestic water supply, livestock water supply, and then agricultural irrigation water supply.

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/tiet-kiem-nuoc-de-ung-pho-han-han-d747097.html