Proactively prevent and control floods for aquaculture areas outside the Red River dike

Nam Song Hong Agricultural Joint Stock Company (Tran Hung Dao Commune, Ly Nhan District) has a 20-hectare aquaculture pond located on the riverbank. The amount of aquatic products being raised by the enterprise is quite large, with 60,000 black carp with an average weight of 2-3 kg/fish. In addition, there is a part of hybrid carp and Koi carp in the ponds using "river in pond" technology. To prevent floods on the river from rising and flooding the ponds, the company is implementing a number of measures such as: erecting a row of columns over 4 m high surrounding the entire farming area, with a total length of 2.5 km surrounded by 2 m high B40 steel mesh; preparing nylon mesh with corresponding length and 2 m wide so that when the flood water rises, it will continue to surround the top to prevent fish from getting out; Proactive fishing in lagoon areas when the Red River flood warning is issued is also taken into account to reduce possible damage... It is known that the Red River flood above warning level 3 in September 2024 flooded the entire aquaculture pond area, causing the company to suffer a loss of more than 12 billion VND. Mr. Bui Van Tung, Director of Nam Song Hong Agricultural Joint Stock Company, said: It is estimated that the investment capital for flood prevention and control in the company's aquaculture area is about 300 - 400 million VND. This is identified as an insurance investment for production, because if there is no proactive prevention early when there is a big flood, the damage will be many times greater. This lesson was learned from the flood on the Red River in 2024.

**Cage fish farming on the Red River needs proactive protection plans, especially during the rainy and flood season.**

Like the Nam Song Hong Agricultural Joint Stock Company, other aquaculture facilities and households in the area outside the Red River are implementing flood prevention measures. Intensive and specialized aquaculture areas have changed direction, importing large-sized fish fry, at least 1 kg/fish or more, black carp about 1.5 - 2 kg/fish. Raising large-sized fish fry, if the Red River floods, can be caught early for commercial sale, limiting damage. Some fish farming households have calculated and prepared all the conditions to be able to surround the pond with nets when the flood rises. 550 fish cages on the Red River in Duy Tien town and Ly Nhan district have also been strengthened in flood prevention and control. The cage system has been reinforced and securely tied; large anchors are used to position the cages to prevent drifting. Some households apply steel fencing at the head of the raft area to prevent wood from drifting with flood water and tearing the farming nets.

Mr. Tran Trong San's household in Phu Phuc commune (Ly Nhan) has 40 cages, with tens of tons of fish in them. To protect the fish cages, he uses 7 anchors weighing 500 kg each, positioned outside the river. In addition, he reinforces the ropes to anchor the cages to the shore by 1.5 times more than normal. He covers the top of the cages with thick, conical corrugated iron to prevent driftwood from directly hitting them. Mr. San shared: Production on the river faces many risks. Therefore, proactive prevention and control helps ensure the safety of the cage area, minimizing damage caused by floods.

To prevent floods for aquaculture areas outside the Red River dike, in recent years, functional sectors and local authorities have focused on propaganda to raise awareness and proactiveness of production facilities and households; at the same time, arranging shock forces ready to help and support people when natural disasters occur. According to Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry (Department of Agriculture and Environment), aquaculture production outside the Red River dike faces many risks when there are floods and storms. Therefore, proactive prevention and control work needs special attention. When there are floods, people need to closely monitor weather forecasts and floods on the river to decide on appropriate response measures...

The current weather situation, especially floods on the Red River, is unusual and difficult to forecast in the long term. Doing a good job of prevention and control will help minimize damage caused by floods, helping aquaculture outside the dikes of this large river continue to have new developments.

Thanh Nam

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/chu-dong-phong-chong-lu-cho-vung-thuy-san-ngoai-de-song-hong-166539.html