Irrigation lake in Chi Linh runs out of water, people face risk of drought

Dry bottom

Chi Linh City currently has 68 irrigation lakes, of which 8 are directly managed by the City Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise, including: Ben Tam Ngoai, Phu Loi, Suoi Gang, Lang Tre, Chin Thuong, Chop Soi, Ho Ven, Trai Sen. The remaining 60 small-scale lakes are managed by the Agricultural Service Cooperatives of communes and wards.

The above 8 lakes are responsible for regulating irrigation water for over 543 hectares of production land in the communes and wards of Hoang Tan, Cong Hoa, Hoang Tien, Le Loi, Bac An and Van An.

Measurement results of the Chi Linh City Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise on the morning of May 14 showed that the water column at 6 out of 8 lakes above has decreased sharply compared to the same period last year from 0.64 - 1.97 m.

According to the reporter's records, the water column at Ho Ven Lake in Le Loi Commune on May 14 was 1.63 m, down 1.07 m compared to the same period in 2024. However, this is the water level measured at the sluice gate, while in many areas, the water level only fluctuates around 50 cm. In particular, a large area in the upstream area of the lake is still in a state of dry bottom, with grass growing well.

Water levels in most irrigation lakes in Chi Linh have dropped sharply due to little or insignificant rain.

"On April 25, Ho Ven Lake even dried up to the bottom, with only a thin layer of water 0.08 m deep in the middle of the lake. Since then, due to two heavy rains, the lake has had water like it does now, but it is still at a very low level. Since 2019, Ho Ven Lake has been this dry again," said Le Duc Cam, Director of the Chi Linh City Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise.

The rocky areas have emerged from the bottom of Suoi Gang Lake.

At Suoi Gang Lake in Hoang Tien Ward, the water level has also dropped very low in recent years. Measurement results on May 14 recorded the average water level at this lake to only 0.45 m, down 1.45 m compared to the same period last year. With the naked eye, it is possible to see that the land under the lake has risen, and many alluvial flats have formed right in the lake.

Since the beginning of the year, Chi Linh City has had less rain than the same period in many years, with total rainfall reaching only 138 mm, down 196 mm compared to the same period last year.

The two showers from April 24-25 and May 9-10, the rainfall in Chi Linh area was also much lower than in other areas in the province. "The average rainfall measured in areas in Chi Linh city on May 9 and 10 was only 18 mm, while in Ninh Giang it was 100 mm, Binh Giang 42 mm, Hai Duong city 38 mm. Little rain, insignificant rainfall is the main cause leading to the above situation", Mr. Cam analyzed.

Urgent drought prevention

People in many localities in Chi Linh City are worried about rice fields that depend on water from irrigation lakes.

Hai Duong area is forecasted to have showers in the coming days but the possibility of rainfall is low. If there is no rain or insignificant rainfall in Chi Linh city area, in just about 20 days, many irrigation reservoirs will likely fall into a state of dry bottom, greatly affecting production.

Mr. Hoang Duc Cuong in Trung Que village, Le Loi commune, worried: "My winter-spring rice area depends entirely on irrigation water from Ho Ven lake. Rice is in the flowering stage and without water, it will easily become stunted, reduce productivity, and even fail the crop."

Deputy General Director of the Provincial Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited, Nguyen Thi Tu, said that in recent days, the company's leaders have come to inspect and assess the current situation and requested the Chi Linh City Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise to urgently develop a plan to combat drought in lakes with low water levels.

The amount of rain in the past few days has been negligible, a large area in the upper reaches of Ho Ven Lake is still dry and the grass has grown green.

Mr. Cam said that Suoi Gang Lake is responsible for irrigating nearly 24 hectares of production land. If the water level continues to drop in the coming days, the City Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise will place a 7.5 kW electric pump in front of the sluice gate to pump water from the lake bed into the canal system.

Ho Ven Lake has 2 sluices. Sluice No. 1 is responsible for providing irrigation water for 19.6 hectares, sluice No. 2 provides irrigation water for 46.9 hectares. Near Ho Ven Lake is Ao Lan Lake, about 0.2 hectares wide, belonging to Bai Thao village, managed by Bac An Agricultural Service Cooperative.

In case of little or no rain, the water level in Ho Ven lake continues to drop, and water cannot flow naturally through the sewer, the enterprise will install an electric pump to pump water from Ao Lan lake to supply water to the canal for 19.6 hectares.

However, the most worrying thing is that there is no alternative source of irrigation water around the No. 2 culvert of Ho Ven Lake. If the water level in the lake drops and cannot be drained naturally, the risk of drought for 46.9 hectares is very high.

Sluice No. 2 of Ho Ven Lake is responsible for regulating water for nearly 47 hectares of agricultural land.

In the immediate future, the Chi Linh City Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise will regulate water reasonably in irrigation reservoirs in the context of little rain and low water levels. Coordinate with the Agricultural Service Cooperatives of communes and wards to propagate farmers to use irrigation water economically and effectively.

If there is still no rain or insignificant rainfall in the coming time, the low amount of water added to the lakes will affect the production of the 2025 crop. Hai Duong Province Irrigation Works Exploitation One Member Co., Ltd. has directed the Chi Linh City Irrigation Works Exploitation Enterprise to report to the City People's Committee and notify relevant localities to coordinate in serving production.

Many irrigation lakes in Chi Linh have not been dredged for many years, causing large sedimentation and shrinking water storage capacity. To ensure irrigation water sources, all levels and sectors need to pay attention to investing in dredging and upgrading to increase the water storage capacity of the lakes, ensuring production services.

GOING STRONG

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/ho-thuy-loi-o-chi-linh-can-nuoc-nguoi-dan-doi-mat-nguy-co-han-han-411621.html