Phu Luong residents expect Dong Trai lake to have enough water and roads

Dong Trai Lake in Phu Luong Commune is a medium-sized reservoir project in Tuyen Quang. The project was completed and put into operation in August 2023, meeting the stable irrigation needs of 25 hectares of spring crops and 30 hectares of summer-autumn crops of the people. Although it has been effective, Phu Luong people still have concerns about the effectiveness of investment in meeting irrigation needs and the fear of losing their livelihoods in the forests.

Dong Trai Lake in Phu Luong commune meets the goal of stable irrigation for 25 hectares of spring crop and 30 hectares of summer crop of the people.

Water in the fields, but still "thirsty"

The Dong Trai Lake project in Phu Nhieu village was approved for investment by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 1438/QD-UBND dated October 12, 2016 and approved for project adjustment in Decision No. 1264/QD-UBND dated September 9, 2020. The Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects for Agricultural and Rural Development approved the construction drawing design in Decision No. 81/QD-DANN dated May 20, 2021, with the goal of stably irrigating 25 hectares of spring crop and 30 hectares of summer-autumn crop; the construction scale of the project includes the following items: Head dam, spillway, water intake; irrigation canal system and works on the canal; repair and upgrade of management and operation roads, combined with rescue.

After more than 2 years of construction, by August 2023, Dong Trai Lake was completed and put into use. Comrade To Van Hanh, Party Cell Secretary, Head of Phu Nhieu Village could not hide his joy when Dong Trai Lake came into operation. Mr. Hanh shared that previously, more than 30 hectares of rice in Phu Nhieu, Phu Son, and Lao Nhieu villages could only grow one crop. In the spring crop, people had to struggle to pump well water for production. Since Dong Trai Lake was built, this rice area has been fully irrigated for both crops.

However, the joy is not complete when currently about 8 hectares of crops and rice of more than 40 households in the village are still "thirsty" for water. Ms. Hoang Thi Bang, Phu Nhieu village said: "My family has 5-6 sao of rice fields that can only produce one crop. In the spring crop, there is no irrigation pipe, we only rely on rainwater but it is not enough, so we cannot grow rice."

Fears of crop failure and famine still linger in the barren fields. Mr. Hanh added that people have repeatedly reported the issue to him and he has also petitioned the authorities.

Discussing this issue, Comrade Khong Manh Tuong, Vice Chairman of Phu Luong Commune People's Committee acknowledged the above situation. Mr. Tuong said that according to the approved design documents, the project only ensures irrigation for 25 hectares of spring crop and 30 hectares of summer crop. Since being put into use, the reservoir has ensured the correct design function. Regarding the 8 hectares of rice of the people that have not had water for production in the spring crop, he explained: "The reason is that the project's funding source is limited and according to hydrological calculations, the actual water flow to the project can only irrigate the area as approved in the design documents. On the other hand, the above fields are mainly located on high ground and far from the project's irrigation water pipeline, requiring large investment costs".

However, Mr. Tuong also informed that according to the design documents, to serve the irrigation of the floating fields, the project has designed a branch pipeline after the water intake to return the water source of the old stream. In the long term, to ensure that the project promotes investment efficiency to meet the irrigation needs according to the people's suggestions, the Commune People's Committee will continue to request competent authorities to pay attention to arranging funding sources to complete the contents according to the people's suggestions."

Longing for a road to transport timber

Not only is it a problem with irrigation water, Dong Trai Lake also inadvertently takes away a vital trail, directly affecting the livelihoods of dozens of households growing eucalyptus on forestry land. Mr. Hanh said that near the lake area, there are about 80 households growing eucalyptus. Previously, they used to transport raw materials along this trail. Now that the lake is flooded, the road is gone, and logging and transporting wood has become extremely difficult. People want the local government to open a belt road to easily transport wood.

Mr. Tran Van Nam, Phu Nhieu village shared: “My family has about 1 hectare of eucalyptus wood, recently sold cheaply for only 68 million VND. Actually, it should have been sold for 100 to 110 million VND, but there is no transportation route so the price is forced down. Now, if people want to exploit wood, they have to wait until November, December, when the lake water dries up. At this time, the water is high and it is impossible to exploit.”
Losing the old transport road, people have to transport wood in a detour of nearly 20 km through Thai Nguyen province. People are very eager to have a new road to transport wood.

Explaining this issue, Mr. Hau Van Nguyen, Head of the Phu Luong Commune Irrigation Management Board, said that the current production route before the construction of the project was a trail opened by households to travel through the reservoir area. After the project was put into operation, people still traveled to farm and produce normally. Only when the rainy season came, the water level in the lake reached the flood spillway, which affected the travel to serve the production of households with land areas in the reservoir area.

The management board coordinated with the commune People's Committee and village representatives to organize meetings and discuss with households to propose a plan to restore the road leading into the lake. Accordingly, households will voluntarily donate land, voluntarily clear the site, and the contractor will support machinery and level the road to ensure it is higher than the water level in the lake. However, the problem is that there are still 2 households that do not agree, do not voluntarily clear the site and require the investor to compensate according to regulations, so the construction cannot be carried out.

“To ensure the needs of forestry production travel are met according to the people's recommendations, the Commune People's Committee will continue to direct the village to organize propaganda and mobilize people to voluntarily donate land and clear the site. After the site is available, the Commune People's Committee will socialize and support the leveling of roads for people to enter the lake, so that the exploitation of wood and farming activities of households around the lake are guaranteed, uninterrupted, and maximize the effectiveness of the project that the province has invested in and the people have agreed to support,” Mr. Tuong affirmed.

Dong Trai Lake has been affirming its important role in changing the face of local agriculture, providing valuable water resources for many cultivated areas and contributing to improving the lives of Phu Luong people. However, in order for this project to maximize its effectiveness, worthy of the investment and expectations of the people, the remaining problems regarding the irrigation system and especially the road for transporting forest products need to be promptly and thoroughly resolved by all levels and sectors, meeting the expectations of the people.

Article and photos: Thanh Tung

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202509/nguoi-dan-phu-luong-ky-vong-ho-dong-trai-du-nuoc-du-duong-9c0676d/