Tens of thousands of hectares of rice fields are flooded.
During the 2024 crop season, Mr. Nguyen Duy Toan's family (Yen Trinh village, Hoang Van Thu commune, Chuong My district) planted over 2 acres of rice. The recent prolonged rains flooded the entire rice field along the Bui River belonging to his family.
For the 2024 crop season, localities in Hanoi planted a total of 70,670 hectares of rice. Of this, high-quality rice varieties accounted for more than 62% of the total area. The city aims for a rice yield of approximately 60 quintals/hectare for the crop season.
“The water overflowed the dike, flooding the entire field to a depth of over 1 meter. It will probably take several weeks for the water to recede completely. My family has lost everything this season,” Mr. Toan shared sadly.
According to Le Hoai Thi, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Van Thu commune, the total area for rice cultivation in the commune during the summer crop season is approximately 300 hectares. The recent rains have caused more than 100 hectares of rice to be deeply submerged. "Areas that have been submerged for up to 5 days are almost completely ruined..." Mr. Thi added.
Statistics show that in Chuong My district, the epicenter of the flooding, the Bui River's water level rose above alarm level III, overflowing the Bui 2 dike for two rows of kilometers in recent days, resulting in the flooding of nearly 2,400 hectares of rice fields belonging to people in 13 communes. Currently, water has not yet receded from many areas of the summer rice crop.
Meanwhile, in Thanh Oai district, another major rice-producing area of Hanoi, the total area flooded due to prolonged heavy rain is even larger, at approximately 3,800 hectares. Although it hasn't rained for the past two days, many areas of the summer rice crop remain deeply submerged.
Statistics from the Hanoi City Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue show that flooding also occurred in most localities with rice production during the summer crop season, such as Quoc Oai (1,400 hectares), Ung Hoa (900 hectares), Gia Lam (450 hectares), Dong Anh (400 hectares), etc. Many areas were deeply submerged and are at risk of total crop loss.
Irrigation systems are straining to combat flooding.
One of the reasons why many rice fields in Hanoi are deeply flooded is the extremely heavy rainfall experienced by the localities in a short period of time. Water levels in rivers and irrigation reservoirs rose simultaneously, exceeding warning levels and overflowing into the fields.
According to Nguyen Quang Minh, head of the Vinh Phuc pumping station (Quoc Oai district), to combat flooding in agricultural areas, the station's staff have been on duty 24/7 for several days, operating all six pumping units and focusing on draining water to protect the summer rice crop.
According to Tran Anh Tuan, Head of Water Management and Works Department (Day River Irrigation Development Investment Company Limited), upon receiving information about the prolonged heavy rain, the unit directed the pumping station system to operate to drain excess water and proactively prevent and combat flooding.
“From July 16th until now, staff and workers have been eating and sleeping at the pumping stations, maintaining continuous operation of hundreds of pumping units. To date, although more than 6,000 hectares of summer rice under the unit's irrigation and drainage responsibility are no longer flooded, the work continues because there are still many areas where the water has not yet been completely drained…” Mr. Tuan added.
Along with the Song Day Irrigation Development Investment Company Limited, three other irrigation enterprises in Hanoi are also urgently implementing measures to prevent waterlogging and flooding for crops, especially in the context of widespread heavy rains recurring from now until July 31st.
To proactively respond to the risk of flooding affecting rice fields during the main cropping season, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is coordinating with irrigation enterprises and localities to continue implementing the directives of the Department of Irrigation ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ) in Document No. 1084/TL-VHTT on strengthening flood and waterlogging prevention and control measures to protect agricultural production in the Red River Delta region.
In the context of continued and prolonged heavy rainfall, posing complex risks, the Hanoi City Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue has issued numerous documents urging departments and localities not to be complacent or negligent. They are proactively developing disaster response plans, including flood control, to minimize damage to people and property.
According to the latest bulletin from the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting , from now until July 31st, the Northern region (including Hanoi) is likely to experience moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms, with some areas experiencing very heavy rain. Total rainfall in the delta region is expected to be between 50-100mm, with some areas exceeding 150mm. Heavy rain may cause flash floods on small rivers and streams; landslides on slopes; and flooding in low-lying areas.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/ha-noi-nguy-co-mat-trang-nhieu-dien-tich-lua-vu-mua.html
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