There will be two water extraction periods during the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop season.

The Department of Irrigation ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ) stated that it has proposed a water release plan consisting of two phases, with a total expected discharge of approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters, which is about 0.12 billion cubic meters lower than the 2022-2023 Winter-Spring crop season.

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Accordingly, the water allocation plan for rice cultivation in the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop season, developed by the Department of Irrigation, is based on criteria such as: optimal planting season, saving water released from hydropower plants, maximizing tidal utilization, avoiding the Lunar New Year holiday, and maintaining reasonable downstream river water levels, etc.

The Department of Irrigation proposed a water release plan consisting of two phases, with a total expected discharge of approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters, which is about 0.12 billion cubic meters lower than the 2022-2023 Winter-Spring crop season.

According to Mr. Ngo Son Hai, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), in recent times, EVN has proactively operated the power system prioritizing water storage in hydropower reservoirs, especially large reservoirs in the Red River basin, to ensure water and electricity supply during the last months of 2023 and the dry season of 2024.

As of October 31, 2023, reservoirs in the Red River basin had basically reached approximately their normal water levels, except for Thac Ba reservoir, which was still about 2 meters short.

However, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting's seasonal hydro-mechanical warning for the whole country from November to April 2024, the water inflow into reservoirs in the northern region continues to be lower than the multi-year average.

Specifically, from November 2023 to January 2024, the water inflow into large reservoirs in the Da River basin was 10%-25% lower than the average annual level, while in the Gam and Chay River basins it was 20%-30% lower.

From February to April 2024, water levels in reservoirs on the Da River basin were 5% - 20% lower than the average annual level, while in the Gam and Chay River basins the levels were 10% - 20%. With this forecast, ensuring water supply and electricity provision in the remaining months of 2023 and throughout 2024 will face significant challenges.

In order to ensure water reserves for water supply and power generation during the hot months at the end of the 2024 dry season, EVN proposes that water extraction for rice cultivation in the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop must be carried out in a truly economical and efficient manner.

Mr. Ngo Son Hai stated that EVN will continue to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to effectively manage and regulate hydropower plants, ensuring maximum efficiency during water release and withdrawal periods for planting.

At a recent meeting on developing a water allocation schedule for the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring rice crop in the Northern Midlands and Delta region, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep emphasized that water supply for the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring rice crop must focus on two objectives: Firstly, to prevent any land from remaining uncultivated due to water shortages; secondly, to ensure water resources for power generation during the 2024 dry season.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep agreed with the proposal to take water in two phases with a total maximum discharge of no more than 3.5 billion cubic meters and requested the Department of Irrigation to calculate and schedule water taking appropriately to achieve high efficiency, save water, and avoid waste. Local authorities and units need to resolutely implement solutions to take water effectively and avoid wasting water resources.

The leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also requested EVN to proactively operate reservoirs rationally to ensure both water regulation for production and electricity generation targets.

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