Au Lau 'thirsty' for winter-spring crop

Lao Cai After storm No. 10, the irrigation system in Au Lau ward, Lao Cai province was severely damaged, people anxiously waited for irrigation water to save the winter-spring crop.

Cracked fields, devastated irrigation

More than a month after storm No. 10 passed, Au Lau ward, Lao Cai province is still in disarray. What remains in Doan Ket residential group are cracked rice fields, eroded dam banks, the system of internal canals buried by soil, and many broken water pipes. Doan Ket dam - a project that serves both irrigation and a vital traffic route, was covered with temporary tarps and has now also been eroded in many places.

Many places at the foot of the irrigation dam in Doan Ket residential group suffered serious landslides. Photo: Thanh Nga.

Doan Ket village is the area that suffered the most damage due to Ngoi Lau stream overflowing and carrying mud from flash floods. According to the people, this area has been affected by natural disasters for two consecutive years, but this year the damage is much more serious. Many fields were buried under a layer of soil up to 60-70cm thick, making cultivation almost impossible.

The dike collapsed nearly 100 meters long. Photo: Thanh Nga.

Mrs. Dang Thi Thuy Nga’s family in Doan Ket village had 7 fields, all of which were flooded and silted up. For two consecutive years, the family’s entire vegetable growing area was lost. Unable to grow rice or vegetables as before, Mrs. Nga had to switch to growing corn, a plant that requires less water, to feed livestock. However, the economic efficiency was low and only moderate. “If we don’t grow anything, weeds will grow wildly and the soil will quickly become infertile,” Mrs. Nga shared.

The silted canal system prevents water from flowing to the fields, forcing people to adapt and temporarily change crops. The fields that were once the main source of livelihood are now just dry, cracked patches of land with few trees. If this situation continues, it is likely that the next winter-spring crop will continue to fail.

Many sections of the dike have eroded as deep as a frog's mouth, posing a danger to road users. Photo: Thanh Nga.

Mr. Nguyen Tai Tue, Head of Doan Ket residential group, Au Lau ward, said: "The village's dike was eroded for nearly a hundred meters, with some sections as deep as a frog's jaw. After the storm, the units covered it with tarpaulin to protect the land, but now the tarpaulin is torn, and water has seeped in, causing the road surface to crack." Doan Ket irrigation lake is 4.6 hectares wide, which used to supply water for more than 17 hectares of rice and vegetables. Now, the entire canal is covered with mud and the water has stopped flowing. Currently, only about 7 hectares of canals have been cleared, while the remaining 10 hectares cannot be planted.

Need to fix soon

Not only in Doan Ket residential group, storm No. 10 also caused heavy damage to other irrigation works in the area. At the Cong Da Dike area, a 300 meter long section was broken at the swing sluice; Thanh Giang transfer lake was eroded about 8 meters downstream of the dam. Along with that, 7 pumping stations and more than 25km of canals were deeply flooded and heavily silted.

Many water pipes were broken. Photo: Thanh Nga.

Mr. Nguyen Tai Tue, head of the Doan Ket residential group, shared: After the storm, many households had to temporarily switch to planting drought-resistant sweet potatoes and corn. But according to Mr. Tue, that is only a temporary solution. If there is no water soon, the land left fallow for a long time will become infertile, and many people will also abandon their fields to work for hire.

Dry, cracked fields due to lack of water. Photo: Thanh Nga.

Sharing the same concerns with the people, the authorities of Au Lau Ward, Lao Cai Province are also racing against time. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Huy, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Au Lau Ward, Lao Cai Province, said that immediately after the storm, the ward set up working groups to conduct field inspections, especially at the severely silted canals. The ward focused on handling the most urgent areas to promptly divert water to the wider area.

Ms. Dang Thi Thuy Nga, a resident of Doan Ket village, Au Lau ward, had to switch her annual vegetable growing area to corn growing due to lack of water. Photo: Thanh Nga.

For the canals managed by Tan Phu Company, the ward has coordinated with the unit to speed up the repair work. For the canals under the local responsibility, the ward has proactively hired excavators and mobilized people to participate in dredging. Up to now, the volume has only been completed about 30%, there are still many sections that have not been cleared.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/au-lau-khat-nuoc-vu-dong-xuan-d782968.html