Digital transformation application promotes efficiency in irrigation industry

On October 17, in Ho Chi Minh City, implementing the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction and the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper jointly organized the forum "Science and technology, digital transformation in management and operation of irrigation works in accordance with Resolution 57".

Overview of the forum.

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Tung Phong, Director of the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction, said that first of all, it is necessary to enhance capacity and awareness of digital transformation in the whole industry; improve the reliability and accuracy of forecasting work, especially in the context of complex climate change.

The application of technology to construction systems such as SCADA or automatic sluice opening and closing systems must go hand in hand with operation and management to ensure resilience and adaptability to natural disasters.

According to Mr. Phong, investment in developing smart irrigation must be associated with multi-functional goals: serving agricultural production, providing domestic water, preventing and combating natural disasters and protecting the environment. This process does not stop at the initial investment but must also be maintained after investment, ensuring consistency and efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Tung Phong emphasized: “In the coming time, the Department will coordinate with the Department of Digital Transformation to build a system of standards and technical regulations, complete a complete and accurate database and be ready for two-way sharing between the Central and local levels. In addition, sectors, levels and localities need to coordinate synchronously to form a smart, adaptive and sustainable irrigation system in the digital age”.

At the forum, delegates discussed, evaluated and shared models and solutions for applying science and technology, especially digital technology and artificial intelligence, in the management, operation, exploitation and provision of irrigation services, aiming to modernize the sector, ensure water security and adapt to climate change in the spirit of Resolution 57-NQ/TW on the development of science, technology and innovation.

Changing thinking, strongly applying science and technology

According to delegates, over the past time, the irrigation system has always played a pivotal role in agricultural development, natural disaster prevention and response to climate change.

However, in the context of increasingly complex climate change, coupled with the increasing demand for water, to maximize the effectiveness of irrigation works, the management and operation of the works must be carried out in a modern, safe and flexible manner. This requires a basis of innovative thinking and strong application of science and technology.

Ho Chi Minh City Irrigation Service Management and Exploitation One Member Limited Liability Company is a pioneer in applying science and technology to the management, exploitation and provision of irrigation products and services. Speaking at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Van Dam, Director of the company, said that from the foundation of information technology application in the 1990s, the company has strongly developed a modern management system based on SCADA, IoT and digital transformation technology.

Currently, the company operates more than 60 SCADA stations, 50 surveillance cameras, 10 water quality monitoring stations and 2 integrated control centers, contributing to the accurate and timely monitoring and operation of irrigation works. In addition, the company has built asset management software, water demand calculation, GIS database, online irrigation management application, and electronic office, helping to improve management efficiency and save water resources by up to 30%. In addition, the company invests in technological equipment such as garbage collectors, flycams, and water laboratories to support operations.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dam, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Irrigation Service Management and Exploitation One Member Limited Liability Company, shared at the forum.

Mr. Dam said that thanks to the application of technological solutions, the efficiency of water supply for daily life and agricultural production is increasing, while contributing to ensuring water security, preventing high tides and natural disasters. In the coming time, the Company aims to complete the SCADA system, apply AI in operations and connect data to the city's general digital transformation program.

Along with that, he also emphasized the training and fostering of skills and in-depth knowledge for the staff and employees operating the SCADA system to meet the requirements of the 4.0 industrial era. Mr. Dam suggested that ministries, branches and city authorities continue to pay attention, issue mechanisms and policies to encourage and support investment in digital transformation and application of science and technology in the field of irrigation; there should be a framework strategy on digital transformation for the whole industry to ensure unity, synchronization and efficiency in implementation.

At the forum, delegates also shared about the application of technology in water resource and saltwater intrusion forecasting to serve effective operational planning; developing smart monitoring networks to support climate change adaptation farming; AI tools to automatically collect and standardize water resource data to serve the construction of a shared database. In addition, delegates also pointed out some current difficulties when wanting to apply science and technology into practice.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Head of the Ca Mau Irrigation Sub-Department, said that in order to apply digital transformation, the province has established a Monitoring Center, integrating data from the irrigation and fisheries sectors, aiming to build a system for processing and using shared data for the entire industry. However, during the operation, the locality encountered many difficulties due to incompatibility between devices.

At the forum, many opinions from scientists, representatives of authorities, businesses and units were shared.

“Some equipment sponsored by international organizations has degraded after a period of use, damaged probes, forcing the import of replacement components with high maintenance costs. In addition, the difference between domestic and international equipment makes data synchronization and integration difficult. For the system to operate stably, many items must be completely replaced with foreign equipment, significantly increasing investment costs. Data from these monitoring stations is transmitted to servers located abroad, causing difficulties in management, exploitation and proactive operation at the local level,” Mr. Tung analyzed.

Mr. Mai Hong Tam, Deputy Head of the Irrigation Sub-Department of Can Tho City, said that after the merger of Can Tho, Hau Giang and Soc Trang provinces, this area has a fairly large irrigation system, diverse in types, from reservoirs, canals to sewers, pumping stations and urban drainage systems. However, in general, the application of science and technology and digital transformation in the management and operation of irrigation works in the city is still small and lacks uniformity.

Currently, Can Tho has a number of outstanding projects such as the central urban flood control project, which has initially shown effectiveness in controlling flooding and regulating water flow. However, according to Mr. Tam, the equipment serving digital transformation in operations has not yet met practical requirements. He recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment place orders and assign institutes, schools and enterprises to research and manufacture suitable equipment, and at the same time suggested that the ministry consider mechanisms for localities to take advantage of more funding sources to implement digital transformation in the irrigation sector.

Speaking at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Tung Phong, Director of the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction, said that, first of all, it is necessary to enhance capacity and awareness of digital transformation in the entire industry; improve the reliability and accuracy of forecasting work, especially in the context of complex climate change. The application of technology to construction systems such as SCADA or automatic sluice opening and closing systems needs to go hand in hand with operation and management to ensure resilience and adaptation to natural disasters.

According to Mr. Phong, investment in developing smart irrigation must be linked to multi-functional goals: serving agricultural production, providing domestic water, preventing natural disasters and protecting the environment. This process does not stop at the initial investment but must also be maintained after investment, ensuring consistency and efficiency.

Mr. Nguyen Tung Phong emphasized: “In the coming time, the Department will coordinate with the Department of Digital Transformation to build a system of standards and technical regulations, complete a complete and accurate database and be ready for two-way sharing between the central and local levels. In addition, sectors, levels and localities need to coordinate synchronously to form a smart, adaptive and sustainable irrigation system in the digital age”.

VUONG LE

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ung-dung-chuyen-doi-so-thuc-day-hieu-qua-nganh-thuy-loi-post916003.html