Proactive measures to prevent drought and saltwater intrusion.

Construction work is underway on the renovation of the Phuong - Quy canal (Hoang Hoa district).

For the 2025 spring crop season, the Hau Loc District Irrigation Branch ( thuộc Bac Song Ma Irrigation Company Limited) signed a contract to provide irrigation water for 4,500 hectares of rice. To date, the entire rice area has been sown and planted, and the people of Hau Loc district are focusing on tending the crop. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Chinh, Director of the Hau Loc District Irrigation Branch, said: "At this time, the spring rice crop is developing well and the irrigation water supply is basically guaranteed. However, if a prolonged hot weather occurs, it is expected that 603 hectares of rice in the district will suffer from water shortage and saltwater intrusion, scattered across the communes of Quang Loc, Phong Loc, Lien Loc, Hoa Loc, and the communes east of De Canal."

To address this situation, the branch has implemented a plan to assign staff to be on duty 24/7 at water intake points affected by tides and salinity. Simultaneously, they are maximizing the use of available water sources by opening sluice gates and operating temporary pumping stations to store water in canals, ditches, ponds, and lakes within the fields. To ensure irrigation water supply and avoid waste, the branch has instructed staff in charge of specific areas to regularly inspect fields, accurately identify water-demanding locations, and plan timely, efficient, and economical irrigation pumping. They are also implementing water retention measures to ensure sufficient water for rice cultivation.

The North Ma River Irrigation Company Limited annually provides irrigation and drainage services for 77,348 hectares of agricultural land in the districts of Hoang Hoa, Hau Loc, Nga Son, Ha Trung, Bim Son town, and some communes on the north bank of the Ma River in Thanh Hoa City. Currently, the company manages 99 large and small pumping stations with 570 pumps and 123 irrigation and drainage canals. For the 2025 spring crop season, the company is responsible for supplying irrigation water to 20,592.23 hectares of rice. Mr. Dang Dinh Tuan, the company director, said: "If a prolonged heatwave occurs during the middle and end of the 2025 spring-summer crop season, the area likely to experience water shortages and saltwater intrusion is estimated at over 3,000 hectares (of which, the area affected by saltwater intrusion is 300-400 hectares), concentrated in coastal localities: Hau Loc, Hoang Hoa, and Nga Son. The unit has instructed its affiliated irrigation branches to assign personnel to work in shifts at pumping stations and water intake gates along the rivers, measuring salinity at the water intake gates every 15 minutes so that when freshwater is available, the pumping stations can be operated at full capacity to pump water into the canal system and reservoirs."

Over the past few months, the company and its branches have also launched campaigns to dredge and clear waterways in the inland canal system, including the Au River and Con Long River. Currently, dredging is underway on the Thanh Nien Canal (Bim Son), contributing to increasing water storage capacity for the inland canals. In addition, the company has instructed its branches to manage water resources strictly, implement rotational irrigation, conserve water, and avoid wasting water.

According to the Thanh Hoa Provincial Meteorological and Hydrological Station, early-season heatwaves may occur in late April and early May. The Thanh Hoa Irrigation Sub-Department predicts that if the heatwave persists across a wide area, approximately 13,300-17,200 hectares of agricultural land in the province are at risk of water shortages, drought, and saltwater intrusion. This is mainly concentrated in the downstream areas of canals drawing water from Cua Dat Lake, Song Muc Lake, Yen My Lake, and the southern Chu River, northern Ma River, and downstream Buoi River areas. Coastal areas are likely to be affected by water shortages and saltwater intrusion, primarily in coastal districts, towns, and cities, as well as Thanh Hoa City in the southern Chu River and northern Ma River regions. These are the areas where pumping stations draw water from the downstream Ma River, Len River, Hoat River, De Canal, and Yen River.

To proactively respond to water shortages and saltwater intrusion, in addition to advising the Department of Agriculture and Environment on the development and submission to the Provincial People's Committee of a plan for drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion prevention in the province in 2025, the Irrigation Sub-Department has issued a document requesting units and localities to appropriately open and close sluice gates at river and sea estuaries to retain freshwater and prevent saltwater intrusion. At the same time, it recommends that the People's Committees of coastal districts, towns, and cities, and irrigation companies regularly monitor tidal schedules, river water levels, and salinity in tidal zones to open and close sluice gates, pump water into canals and fields to store water when water quality meets requirements, and take timely measures to address saltwater intrusion when it occurs.

Text and photos: Minh Ly

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/chu-dong-phong-chong-han-va-xam-nhap-man-245165.htm