Flooded fields due to inadequate drainage

THANH HOA Truong Son sluice cannot meet drainage needs, causing hundreds of hectares of agricultural land in Tan Tien, Ho Vuong, Ba Dinh, and Nga An communes (Thanh Hoa) to be flooded.

Tan Tien Commune (Thanh Hoa) has an agricultural land area of ​​2,795 hectares. In recent years, due to changes in weather and climate, heavy rains have appeared more often, and the upstream forests no longer have a layer of vegetation covering them, causing floods to rush quickly. Irrigation works have been built and exploited for too long but have not been invested in and repaired, so their efficiency is low, affecting agricultural production and people's lives.

The agricultural production area of ​​Tan Tien commune is drained through Truong Son sluice (on An Thai canal) to Can river, draining 3,435 hectares of agricultural land of Tan Tien, Ho Vuong, Ba Dinh, and Nga An communes.

Truong Son drainage system cannot meet drainage needs, affecting many agricultural areas. Photo: Thanh Tam.

When the river flood meets the flood in the fields, the water in the entire drainage basin quickly rushes to the Truong Son sluice but cannot be drained in time because the sluice opening is too small. Especially when there is a flood, the water level of the Can River rises higher than the water level in the fields, combined with high tides, so the sluice must be closed, the drainage is blocked, leading to flooding of the entire agricultural land of Tan Tien commune.

Mr. Hoang Van Duong's family in village 7, Tan Tien commune has 12 sao of sedge growing. His main job is as a construction worker, when there is no work at the construction site, he comes home to take care of and harvest the sedge. From growing sedge, his family has an additional income of about 40 million VND each year. However, this year the income has decreased significantly because the sedge was flooded after 3 consecutive storms.

Mr. Duong's family lost their sedge crop this year due to flooding during the recent storm No. 10. Photo: Thanh Tam.

Mr. Duong said the most severe flooding was during storm No. 10 at the end of September, when the Truong Son sluice gate was closed for many days, causing the entire sedge field in Village 7 to be completely submerged in ice. The sedge was ready to be harvested, and being soaked in water for a long time led to rotting. Taking advantage of the sunny days, he and his mother went to the field to harvest the remaining sedge. This year, Mr. Duong's family's income from sedge decreased by more than half.

In the three recent storms affecting Thanh Hoa , Tan Tien commune suffered heavy damage to agricultural production, specifically 340 hectares of rice were flooded, 29 hectares of crops and 350 hectares of aquaculture were damaged.

Mr. Mai Van Tai, Chairman of Tan Tien Commune People's Committee, said: During the recent storm No. 10, the water level of Can River rose, forcing the local government to close the Truong Son sluice gate for many days. When the water level of Can River receded, the Truong Son sluice gate was opened but the water level receded very slowly, only about 30cm per day. The entire area of ​​rice, crops, and sedge was flooded for many days, leading to heavy damage. The investment in building a pumping station on An Thai canal (Tan Tien commune) is very necessary and urgent, in line with the immediate and long-term planning, meeting the aspirations of the people.

The An Thai culvert on the An Thai canal is small and cannot meet drainage needs. Photo: Thanh Tam.

Agricultural production in Ho Vuong commune was also affected due to the slow drainage of Truong Son sluice. Mr. Pham Ba Bon, Vice Chairman of Ho Vuong Commune People's Committee, said: The entire Bai Nga Thanh field with 70 hectares of rice was completely lost due to the closure of Truong Son sluice for many days. Heavy rains, combined with water from Nga An and Ba Dinh communes, flooded the fields, and the rice was ready to be harvested and soaked in water for a week. Local authorities and people could only watch as the rice fields, which were full of flowers and had been cared for and waited for harvest, were suddenly lost due to floodwaters, but there was no way to fix it because they were completely dependent on Truong Son sluice.

Bai Nga Thanh field (Ho Vuong commune) submerged in water during the recent storm 10. Photo: Provided by Ho Vuong Commune People's Committee.

The construction of a pumping station on An Thai canal (Tan Tien commune) will help proactively drain water for 3,435 hectares of agricultural production in Tan Tien, Ho Vuong, Ba Dinh, and Nga An communes, helping to increase crop productivity, from an unstable crop season to a secure crop season.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/dong-ruong-ngap-nuoc-vi-cong-tieu-khong-dam-bao-d779503.html