Rice fields flooded in the dry season, Quy Nhon Dong farmers call for help

According to old farmer Nguyen Thanh L. (area 3), this area used to have a regulating lake near Quy Nhon 3 spillway, adjacent to Thi Nai lagoon, ensuring flood drainage and preventing salinity for hundreds of hectares of rice. However, recently, the construction company of the new urban area project has filled the drainage system with soil, causing prolonged flooding of the fields.

“Never before have the fields been flooded in the middle of a hot season. For the past few months, farmers here have been very upset and worried because their fields have gradually shrunk, shriveled and become abandoned,” said old farmer Nguyen Thanh L. (in area 3) worriedly.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh L., in the past, to ensure the production of hundreds of hectares of rice fields here, it was necessary to maintain a reservoir to regulate, drain floods and prevent salinity in the area near Quy Nhon 3 spillway, adjacent to Thi Nai lagoon. However, recently, the government allowed a company to fill in the new urban area with soil. During the construction process, the company filled in the flood drainage system, causing flooding and damage to the fields.

>>>Short clip about the incident and people's feedback and opinions:

Rice fields of people in area 5, Quy Nhon Dong ward submerged in "sea of water" in the middle of summer

Flooded and waterlogged fields had to be abandoned in the middle of the summer-autumn crop.

The heaviest damage was in area 5, with about 62 hectares of rice belonging to nearly 100 households affected. “Many households had to sow and transplant 3-4 times, which was costly in terms of effort and money; some households had to pump water for 25 days to save the rice,” said Mr. Ng. H., the owner of 6 stars of rice here.

Mr. Do Xuan Sanh, irrigation officer of Nhon Binh I Agricultural Cooperative, informed: "In this year's Summer-Autumn crop alone, more than 15/62 hectares of rice in area 5 were forced to be abandoned due to flooding. People were very upset, they signed a collective petition asking me to represent them to send to all levels and sectors requesting early investment in a new flood drainage system so that they can feel secure in production and need compensation and support for damage."

Location of the new urban area project in Cho Goc area, dumping soil, blocking flood drainage for residents

According to the residents, the provincial People's Committee previously planned and granted land for the enterprise to build an urban area that overlapped with their flood drainage, flood control, and salinity prevention systems. Therefore, the enterprise's implementation was not wrong, but the dangers and inadequacies lay with the government.

Speaking to SGGP Newspaper, a leader of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Lai province confirmed that the flooded area belongs to the Cho Goc new urban area project (CG-01) invested by Phu Gia Riverside Company Limited. Previously, the leaders of Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee (now Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee) had a meeting, listened to the opinions of all parties and had specific conclusions and instructions.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Thanh concluded: When there was no drainage solution, the enterprise filled up the 5-bay bridge (over National Highway 19), leveled the ground for construction of the project, blocking the flood and drainage the current situation, causing about 60 hectares of rice fields of people in area 5 to be flooded...

Flood discharge gates of people's fields in area 3 and area 5 (Quy Nhon Dong ward) were filled in and blocked.

Thereby, the leaders of the Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Agriculture and Environment to be the investor, organize the preparation of technical economic reports, evaluation, approval and implementation of construction of the new canal, lowering the elevation of the new public service road south of National Highway 19 (section from Ha Thanh 6 bridge to Dien Bien Phu street).

Phu Gia Riverside Company Limited is responsible for arranging funds to carry out compensation, site clearance and investment in the above canal to restore the flood drainage canal, serving production and daily life of the people...

Many rice fields of Quy Nhon Dong ward residents have stopped production and are abandoned in urban areas.

The new urban area project CG‑011 was established in 2019, with an initial capital of over VND 1,777 billion (direct investment capital of the investor). On July 6, 2020, the Provincial People's Committee approved the detailed planning at a scale of 1/500, an area of over 62 hectares, a population of 9,100 people; Planning for land use for civil, service, urban, resettlement, etc.

>>>Some images recorded by PV: