The "anger" of the Krong No River

Over the past few days, Mr. Phan and other farmers with ripe coffee trees have had to carry bags of coffee through the landslides to get them onto trucks. The hardships ahead, along with the worry that the landslides are getting wider and longer, and they don’t know how to fix them, have made his weather-beaten face even more miserable.

Traffic roads and coffee plantations of Nam Nung commune residents are being gradually "swallowed" by the Krong No river.

Where are the rice fields and honey?

In October, when the rains considered to be at the end of the season have become less heavy, the Krong No riverbank is nearing the end of the major landslide season compared to last year. At the Dak Ren field located along the river in Nam Nung commune, 100 hectares wide, which locals consider a rice pot that has fed many generations, the river continues to swallow the land.

The traces of the landslide are still fresh. The green coffee trees were dragged down to the riverbed, the trees were still hanging on the edge of the cliff, the trees were gradually submerged under the muddy water of the rainy season. This image reminds me of 2023, at this time, the agricultural land of the people in the distance is now covered by the river. Currently, this once gentle riverbank has an inverted arc shape. That shape, those jagged banks seem to denounce the Krong No River that has eaten into the fertile land of the people.

Mr. Ban Van Phan, from Quang Ha village, has been making a living on this land for decades. At the age of over 50, he still vividly remembers the alluvial land along the river that Mother Nature bestowed upon him, which has nourished his family and many generations. With 3 sao of land (1 sao 1,000 m2) originally planted with coffee along the river, now his family's land is only about 1 sao left, he feels sad at the sight of the river that has suddenly become increasingly angry.

He recalled the incident that happened nearly 10 years ago. From losing a little land, in recent years, the riverbank erosion has become more and more serious. This year, even the road leading to his and many other families' production areas has just been eroded, so no large vehicles can get there. Meanwhile, the coffee gardens have now begun to ripen. Therefore, in the past few days, he and those with ripe coffee gardens have had to carry each bag through the landslide to get them onto the truck. The hardship ahead and the worry about the landslides getting wider and longer without knowing how to fix them, made his already weather-beaten face even more miserable.

Mr. Ban sadly said: "The landslide was about 2-3 meters from the water surface, the sand is weak so we cannot use manual measures such as fencing to protect our land, we can only watch helplessly as the river gradually swallows our land."

Ms. H'Trong, Quang Phu commune, is worried about losing her land and doesn't know what to do to make a living.

Leaving Nam Nung commune with a feeling of "powerlessness", according to the people's reflection, we came to Quang Phu commune. In Phu Loi village, where the locality recorded a serious riverbank landslide, we met Ms. H'Trong, one of 20 households whose production land was lost due to landslides. Ms. H'Trong belongs to an ethnic minority household, living in the locality since 1982 and cultivating 5 sao of land to grow agricultural crops. However, from 2020 until now, the land adjacent to the riverbank has been continuously eroded, sweeping away hundreds of crops and more than 1 sao of her land into the river. Ms. H'Trong choked up: "For farmers, land is the biggest asset, but when it is gradually lost, they do not know where to cling to to live. I am in so much pain, losing land is like losing a close relative."

The sorrow is even greater when all the people who own land along the river are in a state of increasing fear and wonder: why? The Krong No River is considered a gentle river, depositing alluvium every year on the fields on both banks. Many fields such as Dak Ren and Buon Choah can be compared to "rice fields and honey fields" for thousands of households with stable livelihoods. Moreover, thanks to the fertile land, people along the river have been able to get rich with the world's best corn, potatoes, and rice, such as in Buon Choah commune with VietGAP rice fields producing ST24 and ST25 rice varieties. However, in the past 10 years, the river has changed silently and in recent years has become fierce, threatening the lives and livelihoods of the people.

The fundamental solution is in turmoil.

The Krong No River originates from the Chu Yang Sin mountain range (Dak Lak), at an altitude of over 2,000 m, flows west through the valleys and then turns north to join the Krong Ana River, a 189 km long river passing through the border of 2 provinces: Lam Dong, Dak Lak . The section flowing through the communes of Quang Phu, Nam Nung, Nam Da (bordering Dak Lak province) is about 53.3 km.

Now, all three communes are facing the wrath of the Krong No River. The leader of the Economic Department of Nam Nung Commune, Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, who accompanied us, informed that the section of the Krong No River flowing through Nam Nung Commune is about 14 km long, and currently has 11 landslides, of which 3 are severe landslides. From 2023 to now, nearly 1,000 m of concrete road along the river has been washed away. “In early 2025 alone, more than 300 meters of road in Dak Ren field collapsed into the river, paralyzing travel and agricultural product transportation. Nearly 500 meters of irrigation canals were also damaged, many sections completely disappeared, making irrigation difficult. Some pumping stations along the river were also affected, with the risk of losing billions. Dozens of hectares of production land and crop areas were lost to the water. The locality is very worried about the increasingly serious riverbank erosion situation,” Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong said as if he knew it by heart.

Buon Choah fields, along the Krong No river, are considered fertile golden fields, growing ST25 VietGap rice.

It is understandable that this is a constant concern for the communes along the river. For example, in the rainy season of 2025, due to many prolonged heavy rains, landslides continued to encroach, directly threatening water pumping stations (serving irrigation in the dry season) and power lines along the river, potentially endangering the safety of works and people's land. There are no specific statistics on the damage caused by landslides on the banks of the Krong No River in localities during the rainy season of 2025. To date, we have recorded 21 different landslides, with a total length of over 9 km.

During a recent working trip with the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Nam Nung and Quang Phu communes, Comrade Luu Van Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee directly inspected the landslide sites. The cause of the riverbank landslides was determined by the departments and branches to be due to weak geology, changes in the flow when the hydropower plant operates upstream, combined with excessive sand mining that has lowered the riverbed. In addition, due to climate change...

It is not until now that the riverbank has eroded to the warning level that the departments, branches, and the Provincial People's Committee have, together with relevant units, including upstream hydropower management units and the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee, implemented a number of measures such as building several embankments and strictly controlling illegal exploitation. However, in reality, these measures are like a drop in the ocean, not covering the core problem. The evidence is that riverbank erosion is still occurring and becoming more and more serious.

I remember the thoughtful faces of the commune officials who led us to the field that day, when someone wondered: is it impossible to manage this river like other rivers in the province? La Nga River and Luy River in the Southeast of the province also have hydropower plants at their source and after management, the water source has brought many benefits to agricultural production and other economic sectors.

On the way back, I kept thinking about the solution that the commune officials and people suggested: the province needs to have in-depth seminars, mobilize the participation of agencies, units, and leading experts to find the root cause and synchronous and effective solutions.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/su-gian-du-cua-song-krong-no-397778.html