Drought-adapted production

Water pump booster

The continuous heat wave over the past time has caused the water level in 6 ponds (about 5,000m2 ^of water surface) of Mr. Pham Dinh Thuan's family in Thuan Hoa 2 hamlet, Thuan Phu commune, Dong Phu district to dry up. To provide irrigation water for the durian garden in the fruit-growing stage, for the past 10 days, his family has had to use 4 pumps, pumping water from Dong Xoai lake into the ponds, and then pumping it back into the garden. Mr. Thuan said: "This is the peak of the dry season, the family's ponds are all dry. Although the pond is next to Dong Xoai lake, the water level in the lake has also dropped. The family has to place the pump pipe about 20m from the shore, then pump water from the lake into the pond."

Leading us to the pump area, Mr. Thuan said: “The sun is constant, the water evaporates quickly, the irrigation water demand of the garden is very high. Therefore, the family has to pump water every day. On average, each day the cost is about 300,000 VND for fuel.” While chatting, Mr. Thuan observed the irrigation pipe system. Because the pond is shallow and there is a lot of mud, the pump sometimes gets clogged, or the water pipe breaks, forcing him to run to fix it. In addition to the oil pump, his family also installed a solar panel system to use an electric pump, reducing costs. However, the solar panel is only enough for a small capacity pump, it runs out of power after 3 hours of pumping and has to wait for it to be recharged.

The water reservoir of the people of Thuan Phu commune, Dong Phu district has dried up to the bottom.

It is more difficult because there is no pond, no well, and the durian garden is far from Dong Xoai Lake, so Mr. Huynh Tan Phuoc's family, who lives in Thuan Hoa 2 Hamlet, has to rely on Mr. Thuan's pond to pump water to their garden. Therefore, the pond always has 2 large oil pumps, operating continuously. Mr. Phuoc shared: "Currently, the water level at Dong Xoai Lake has decreased, some sandbanks and beaches have risen. Therefore, installing a pipeline system to pump water into the pond is not easy. Without irrigation water, the durian garden will be exhausted, and the quality of the fruit will decrease significantly."

Mr. Phuoc added that in the Thuan Hoa 2 hamlet area, households with gardens near Dong Xoai Lake often do not drill wells but only draw ponds. When the water level drops and the lake dries up, every household must install pumps from Dong Xoai Lake.

This year, due to the harsh weather, many durian gardens have lost a high percentage of fruit, and not much fruit remains on the trees. Therefore, households are trying to take good care of them to be able to harvest. Visiting the durian production situation of cooperative members, Mr. Ho Thanh Thuan, Deputy Director of Bom Bo Binh Phuoc Trade and Service Cooperative, said: The cooperative has 150 hectares in some communes of Dong Phu district. This year, the weather is very harsh, some places have difficulty with irrigation water. Most cooperative members have invested in wells and dug ponds to store water, but there are still ponds with dry bottoms and deep well water. We recommend that people in the cooperative share water sources with each other; check the gardens daily to promptly detect and prevent pests and diseases. At this time, durian fruit is in a period of strong growth, the demand for irrigation water is high, when the trees do not have enough water, they will be exhausted, pests and diseases will also attack and cause harm, affecting productivity and quality.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet's family in Binh Minh commune, Bu Dang district dug a pond in a low-lying area, but the pond does not have much water.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet (left), Binh Minh commune, Bu Dang district hopes that the well will provide enough water to irrigate the durian garden during the period when the fruit is growing strongly.

Although located near the Thac Mo Hydropower Reservoir, many households' durian gardens in Village 6, Binh Minh Commune, Bu Dang District are also lacking irrigation water. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Viet's family has 2 hectares of Ri6 durian. At this time, the fruit crop is 70 days old, the demand for irrigation water is very high. Mr. Viet said: Since the beginning of March, the family has dug a pond at the lowest point. However, so far, the water level is very low. Currently, the well in the garden is continuously pumping water every day. Hopefully there will be no water shortage.

Continuously update the area of ​​crops affected by drought

Mr. Hoang Manh Thuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said: Since the beginning of the year, the Department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue documents directing the People's Committees of districts, towns, cities and Binh Phuoc Irrigation Services Company Limited and its affiliated units to implement many measures to prevent drought and water shortages to serve agricultural production and people's lives in the dry season of 2025. The Department requested the People's Committees at the district level to review, update and report periodically every 2 weeks on the drought situation in the locality throughout the dry season, including cases where there is no drought or water shortage; requested large hydropower companies on the Be River, Binh Phuoc Irrigation Services Company Limited, districts, towns and cities to inform about the water situation at reservoirs in the province.

According to reports from units as of April 10, there has been no shortage of domestic water and water for production. For reservoirs managed by Binh Phuoc Irrigation Services Company Limited, the water level is at a level that ensures irrigation, without affecting people's production. Since the end of March, the province has had widespread unseasonal rain, which has significantly reduced the occurrence of hot weather, providing water for crops.

According to Mr. Thuong, in some places, people reported that their family ponds had dried up, and there was a risk of a lack of water for irrigation for their gardens. Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Environment continued to issue Document No. 864/SNNMT-KSTL dated April 11, 2025, to the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities in the province and Binh Phuoc Irrigation Services Company Limited on the implementation of periodic reports on the drought situation and information on water sources at irrigation reservoirs. In particular, the Department requested the People's Committees at the district level to update the area of ​​crops and domestic water of people affected by drought, reporting according to 3 levels of damage: over 70%, from 30-70% and under 30%; estimated area of ​​drought and water shortage in the dry season this year; the number of people who have been and are lacking domestic water and the expected number of people who will lack water to have remedial measures.

In Document No. 67/BC-SNNMT-KSTL dated April 10, 2025, the Department of Agriculture and Environment requested the People's Committees at the district level to regularly propagate and mobilize people to share water resources during drought; renovate and dredge wells and canals to store water in production areas, and use water economically. We also requested the People's Committees at the district level to direct the deployment of commune-level shock troops and village chiefs to monitor and promptly report on the drought situation; regularly monitor key areas and areas at risk of water shortage in the area to coordinate in supporting the provision of water to households suffering from shortages...

Mr. HOANG MANH THUONG, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture and Environment

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/171563/san-xuat-thich-ung-voi-kho-han