Many pumping stations have ceased operation due to low water levels.
These days in Cat Van commune (Thanh Chuong district), farmers are actively preparing the land for planting spring rice. Mr. Tran Van Binh, who was building embankments for his rice field, shared: "The water level in the Lam River is low, so the pumping station cannot operate, directly affecting the progress of preparing the land for planting spring rice."
Mr. Nguyen Hong Quan, head of the Cat Van commune pumping station, shared: According to the plan, the Ban Ve Hydropower Plant started releasing water on January 10th. However, the water level on the Lam River is too low, so the pumping system, consisting of 3 pumps with a capacity of 3,300 m³ /hour, has to stop pumping. The station is implementing a plan to dredge the suction basin and connect the hoses to resume pumping.
Another difficulty arises from the outdated and malfunctioning machinery; while the pump hoses can be repaired, pumping will be difficult due to the weak suction power. The Cat Van commune pumping station provides irrigation water for over 136 hectares of rice fields, which are currently in the land preparation stage. Farmers are mainly using rainwater from the past few days for land preparation and seedling cultivation, and the risk of water shortage for the spring crop is imminent.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Director of Thanh Chuong Irrigation One-Member Limited Liability Company, stated: The company manages 9 pumping stations in Thanh Chuong district, but currently 5 of them are not operational. For example, the Cat Van pumping station serves to irrigate 136 hectares of land in Cat Van commune for the spring crop. However, the water level on the Ca River at the Cat Van pumping station is measured at +5.80m, so the pumping units are currently unable to operate.
The Rang pumping station complex (including Rang pumping station, Thanh Hung 1 pumping station, and Thanh Hung 2 pumping station) serves to irrigate Dai Dong and Thuan Son communes (Do Luong district) with an area of 575 hectares for the winter-spring crop. The water level on the Ca River at the Rang pumping station is measured at +4.30m. Currently, only 2 pumping units of Thanh Hung 1 station are still operational with a flow rate of about 60%, while the Rang and Thanh Hung 2 pumping stations are still unable to operate.
The Dong Van pumping station irrigates Dong Van commune and Thanh Chuong town, covering an area of 290 hectares for the winter-spring crop. The water level on the Ca River at the Ru Nguoc pumping station is measured at +3.60m, and currently, the pumping units are still unable to operate.
Solutions for regulating water for production should be implemented soon.
Mr. Le Dinh Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee, said: This spring, the district planted over 8,500 hectares of rice, of which over 2,000 hectares depend on water sources along the Lam River. Given the water shortage, the district is directing local authorities and irrigation units to be on standby 24/7, deploying pumps at full capacity to serve spring rice production whenever the Lam River water level rises.
At the same time, localities are urged to make full use of the rainwater collected in recent days to nourish rice seedlings and prepare the land, and to educate people on water conservation. In the long term, it is necessary to upgrade the pumping station system, as most pumping stations in Thanh Chuong are dilapidated.
In response to the above situation, on January 5th, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development organized a meeting between Ban Ve Hydropower Company, Vietnam Electricity Development Joint Stock Company, Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company, the People's Committees of Thanh Chuong and Do Luong districts, and relevant departments and units to agree on a plan for regulating water levels in hydropower reservoirs.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requests the People's Committee of Nghe An province to issue a document requiring Ban Ve Hydropower Company, Vietnam Electricity Development Joint Stock Company, and Chi Khe Hydropower Joint Stock Company to operate and regulate the water levels of the Ban Ve, Khe Bo, and Chi Khe hydropower reservoirs, releasing water downstream during the period from January 10th to February 15th, specifically:
During the periods from January 10th to January 14th and from January 26th to January 30th: The Ban Ve reservoir will operate daily to ensure an average total discharge of no less than 150.0 m³ /s. During the periods from January 15th to January 25th and from January 31st to February 15th: The Ban Ve reservoir will operate daily to ensure an average total discharge of no less than 65.0 m³ /s.
However, upon inspection and information gathering, the water level on the Lam River monitored at the Do Luong weir at 10:00 AM on January 12th reached an elevation of +11.0m, compared to the spillway threshold elevation of the Do Luong weir dam of +10.5m. The amount of water flowing downstream from the Lam River over the Do Luong weir is negligible.
To ensure timely water supply for spring irrigation, on January 12th, Thanh Chuong Irrigation Company Limited issued a report "on the low river water level affecting irrigation pumping for the 2024 spring crop".
The unit has submitted a proposal to the relevant authorities suggesting that if water is released according to the current plan, the pumping stations in Thanh Chuong district, managed by the company and the local authorities, will still be inoperable, leading to water waste and inefficiency. For the pumping stations to operate, the water level of the Lam River needs to rise by at least 40cm compared to the current water level at the pumping stations.
To ensure that irrigation is supplied to localities in accordance with the planned planting schedule, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development advises the People's Committee of Nghe An province to direct upstream hydropower plants to increase the discharge flow beyond the plan implemented in Document No. 191/UBND-NN dated January 9, 2024, of the People's Committee of Nghe An province.
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