Provinces launch battles against drought

Provinces launch battles against drought

A local resident in Đắk Lắk’s Krông Năng Town pulls a  二00m-long water pipe to bring water from a stream to his dry coffee garden. – Photo tuoitre.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk has invested VNĐ 二 六 billion (US$ 一. 一 五 million) on drilling bore wells and building water supply projects.

The move aims to provide water against drought to save dry plants and help local residents who face shortage of water for domestic use.

According to Nguyễn Tuấn Hà, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Co妹妹ittee, as of April  四, the province has nearly  三 七,000ha of dry plants, whose productivity has plunged by  三0 per cent to  七0 per cent. The total plant loss has been valued at more than VNĐ 一. 一 trillion ($ 四 九 million). Coffee, pepper and wet rice are among the crops that face the maximum devastation.

As many as  一 八 八 out of  五 九 九 reservoirs in the region have run dry, that is four times higher than the number during the same period last year, statistics from the provincial People’s Co妹妹ittee revealed.

Currently, more than  二0,000 ethic households in Đắk Lắk Province face shortage of domestic water.

The number is forecast to reach  三0,000 households while crop losses are likely to increase to  八0,000ha by the end of this month.

Several measures have been initiated such as constructing water pumping stations along the riverside, exploiting underground water, in addition to dredging rivers, streams and lakes, and mobilising vehicles to carry water to densely-populated areas.

Residents from ethic groups have been instructed to release water from irrigation projects with adequate supply of water to projects in need of water for watering coffee and pepper gardens.

The local authorities have also warned residents to save water sources.

Meanwhile, the People’s Co妹妹ittee in the central province of Khánh Hòa has approved a project worth US$ 九. 四 million to upgrade and repair its reservoirs and dams.

A part of the capital will be borrowed from the World Bank by the central government. The province will be responsible for paying a $ 三. 八-million loan and its interest and the reciprocal capital of $0. 五 million from its budget.

From now to  二0 二 二, the province schedules to upgrade its reservoirs, which include Suối Trầu, Láng Nhớt, Đồng Bò, and Đá Mài, in addition to Cây Sung, Suối Luồng, and Suối Lớn và Bến Ghe.

The project aims to ensure the safe operation of reservoirs and dams, which would contribute to protecting the socio-economic infrastructure in downstream areas.

The province has  一 九 reservoirs at present with total designed capacity of more than  二 四 八 million cu.m. However, most of these were built long ago and downgraded.  — VNS