Livelihood concerns in drought-stricken areas of Ham Thuan Nam

Việt Nam•07/04/2024

Now, the Ta Mon reservoir is cracked and dry. Meanwhile, in the Ham Can and My Thanh areas, drought is taking away the livelihoods of every household and every person…

Meeting with people who lost their land due to the formation of Ka Pét Lake.

Although it was still early morning, a large crowd had already gathered at the My Thanh Commune Cultural Center. There were 25 households, all families whose agricultural land was located within the Ka Pet reservoir project area and would lose their land to the upcoming irrigation project. Therefore, the meeting was not only for them to meet and receive gifts from the working group organized by the Department of Information and Communications in coordination with several related departments and agencies, but also to help us better understand the lives of people in the drought-stricken agricultural production area, the reservoir project area. And they were witnesses to it all, through their faces, their thoughts and aspirations, and the long history of their arduous lives in this drought-stricken region.

*Meet with the people in the project area.*

On those faces, those small figures reflected a lifetime of hardship and anxiety about the difficulties they were facing in their livelihoods. The drought was gradually taking away their means of living. The worry about food, clothing, and money was immense, as the villagers seemed to have no work during the dry season, while their fields were left fallow due to drought and lack of water. Therefore, any support, however small or large, was a great encouragement to the people in the drought-stricken area. Upon receiving the gifts from the delegation, they smiled, expressing their joy because at least they would have some money for living expenses in the coming days. Most of these households are from the Rai ethnic group, living in Hamlet 1, My Thanh Commune. The commune has over 20,600 hectares of natural land and is considered one of the driest and most difficult areas in Ham Thuan Nam district. It is also the location of the Ka Pet reservoir, where two rivers flow: the Po stream and the Ka Pet stream. Ó (Bom Bi stream) and Bà Bích river in the local dialect.

*The bed of the Bà Bích River is barren, covered in rocks and sand.*

*The lowest point of the Ba Bich River.*

Among those households, I spoke with Mr. Tran Ngoc Ngang from Hamlet 1, My Thanh Commune. He is one of the owners of 2 hectares of old cashew trees in the production area near the Ba Bich River within the project zone. Mr. Ngang shared: “During the rainy season, my family plants corn and cassava intercropped with cashew trees. But during this dry season, the cashew trees are withered and the harvest is poor, with only a few scattered fruits and the flowers shriveled up.” Mr. Ngang added that the difficulties due to water shortage have lasted for many years, so he hopes that the Ka Pet reservoir project will be implemented soon. When the government reclaims the agricultural land, the people will have no land to cultivate, so they hope to switch to a different economic activity .

Sharing the same concerns and difficulties regarding the drought, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyen – another household with agricultural land in the Ka Pet project area – expressed: “The prolonged drought means people lack drinking water and water for production, which in turn means no work and no income. The land here can only be used to grow corn and cassava during the rainy season. During the dry season, it cracks due to the drought, so it's left fallow, and people have no choice but to go far away to work as laborers.”

*Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyen shared her concerns about making a living.*

For those without land to cultivate, like Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huyet in Hamlet 1, My Thanh Commune, whom we met on our trek into the forest, we learned that during this dry season, the entire forest is parched, making it difficult to earn a living. Every day, Mrs. Huyet goes into the forest from about 7 am to 5 pm, with a basket, a sickle, and a bottle of filtered water. Exhausted from the journey, she and her neighbors search for anything edible in the forest to get through the day. Due to the dry season, the "products" they gather are only a few pieces of bee larvae, or bundles of betel leaves, lime leaves, or rattan shoots to eat or sell for money; some even take termite nests from the forest trees to feed their chickens. On some days, the sun is so strong that there isn't enough water to drink, so they have to leave the forest earlier than planned. In the evening, they carry containers to ponds or lakes that still have water to bring back home for daily use…

*People have no other choice but to make a living in the forest during the dry season, but they don't get much either.*

*After half a day, the only "product" collected was one small beehive.*

When asked about the future of the Ka Pét reservoir in the area, everyone's face lit up with dreams of a better life. With water, they could grow dragon fruit, raise livestock... The story of a village with just over 280 households, where 188 households in Mỹ Thạnh were already poor or near-poor, will soon become a thing of the past.

*People turn to ponds and lakes to get water for daily use.*

Creating additional livelihoods

We continued walking for several kilometers under the scorching sun to reach the Ba Bich River, the location where water will be drawn to the Ka Pet reservoir and the main water intake structure. Instead of the clear, babbling sound of the river during the rainy season, the river now appeared completely different to me. As Mr. Tran Ngoc Quang – Vice Chairman of the My Thanh Commune People's Committee – had said when he was there: “During the rainy season, the water flows swiftly and dangerously, yet it doesn't retain water. And in the dry season, after only a short time, it becomes barren and devoid of sand.” And right in the middle of the Ba Bich River at the time of our arrival, the sounds of engines, drilling machines, and a group of workers were still diligently working. Upon inquiry, we learned that they were conducting geological surveys to support the project's progress.

*An aerial view of the abandoned fields in My Thanh commune, left fallow due to drought.*

Perhaps the initial impacts of machinery on this arid land are opening up hope that the Ka Pét reservoir will soon take shape… When that happens, thousands of hectares of land in the district will be supplied with irrigation water, people will have access to clean water for daily use, the environment will be improved, the ecological environment of the downstream area will be enhanced, and tourism and services in the province will be developed. With the reservoir and irrigation water, along with the attention of the Party, the State, and the government at all levels, the issue of livelihoods for the local people through National Target Programs, loan policies, and technical training courses… will be given even more attention, so that people have the “tools” to improve their lives and escape poverty sustainably. By then, it is certain that the legitimate aspirations for long-term livelihoods of the people of Ham Thuan Nam in general and the two communes of Ham Can and My Thanh in particular will be easier to achieve.

*Geological exploration drilling is being conducted in the bed of the Bà Bích River.*

During our trip with the delegation, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc – Vice Chairman of the Ham Thuan Nam District People's Committee – expressed his confidence that: “Investing in irrigation projects in the area will create favorable conditions for the socio-economic development of the people in general and ethnic minorities in particular. Currently, the Central Government and the province have paid attention to investing in the locality regarding the Ka Pet reservoir project. For many years, procedures have been underway, and now the investment preparation phase is basically complete. If the Ka Pet reservoir is completed on schedule and put into use soon, it will ensure a source of water for daily life and irrigation for the people. Therefore, the locality hopes that the province and the Central Government will pay attention to urging relevant departments to complete the dossier and start construction of the project as soon as possible.”

*The Ta Mon reservoir has been dry and cracked for the past month.*

The sun was directly overhead! The intense heat in the drought-stricken Ham Thuan Nam region was making it difficult to keep the water bottles running low. In this weather, people in Ham Can and My Thanh, on their way to the forest and fields to earn a living, had to carefully conserve every drop of drinking water to avoid having to return home early due to thirst. This is nothing new here at this time of year; two years ago, I witnessed it and wrote an article titled "The Ka Pet Aspiration." And even now, facing a severe drought that has recurred, the people still yearn for an irrigation system named after the Ka Pet reservoir. The only difference is that this aspiration will become a reality in the not-too-distant future...