Dak Lieng rice granary faces the risk of total crop loss due to floods.

Although the rain has stopped for several days, water from rivers and streams has flooded hundreds of hectares of rice paddies in Dak Lieng commune, with many areas facing the risk of complete crop loss.

Just about half a month ago, the rice fields of Doan Ket 1 village were golden and full of ripe grains, promising a bountiful harvest. However, now, about one-third of the villagers' rice fields have been submerged in water. Observations here show that dozens of hectares of rice are still submerged, with water levels exceeding one meter in some areas, leaving only a few waterlogged, yellow rice stalks sticking out.

Many rice paddies in Dak Lieng commune, planted during the summer-autumn season, have been submerged.

According to Mr. Dam Minh Phung, Head of Doan Ket 1 village, this year's summer-autumn crop saw Doan Ket 1 village planting 230 hectares of rice. To avoid risks from floods, the villagers proactively chose short-day rice varieties such as OM18 and OM5451, which have a short growing season, ready for harvest in about 3 months.

However, natural disasters are unpredictable. After just a few days of continuous heavy rain, water from the streams, combined with the rising water level of the Krông Ana River, submerged approximately 80 hectares of rice fields belonging to local farmers. This is a huge loss, directly affecting the lives of dozens of households. “Rice submerged in water for so long will rot, turn black, and become unusable. The money spent on seeds, fertilizer, and labor has all gone down the drain,” Mr. Phụng said with a voice full of worry.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, from Doan Ket 1 village, has 1.5 hectares of rice fields flooded this time. He only hopes the water recedes quickly so he can salvage whatever he can. He said that the longer the rice is submerged, the less hope there is. After many days of being submerged, the rice has turned black, and even if he sells it, he will only get a very low price. Harvesting the flooded rice is also a difficult problem. Fields that haven't been flattened can be harvested by machine, but fields where the rice has been flattened must be harvested by hand, and the cost of hiring someone to harvest by hand is very high, about 300,000 VND/day, and even then, it's hard to find people to hire. Roughly calculated, each hectare costs 30-40 days of labor; abandoning it would be a pity, but keeping it would be a burden.

Although the rain has stopped for many days, the fields of Doan Ket 1 village are still vast and flooded.

Mr. Dong calculated that the cost of fertilizer, seeds, and labor for cultivating 3 hectares of rice amounted to approximately 70 million VND. With the price of flooded rice being only half that of normal rice, this year's harvest will certainly not cover the costs. "We sincerely hope the government will have a policy to support the flooded areas, to alleviate some of the losses for farmers," Mr. Dong expressed.

In Lien Ket 3 village, Mr. Nguyen Cong Ban's family has 1.5 hectares of rice fields remaining, now submerged in floodwaters. Mr. Ban stated that this year, his family planted 4 hectares of rice during the summer-autumn season. Anticipating the risk of heavy rain, he had already harvested 2.5 hectares, following the principle of "better to harvest while the rice is still green than wait until it's fully ripe," accepting slightly unripe rice to avoid potential damage from flooding. However, the remaining 1.5 hectares were completely submerged due to the unexpected rain and flooding, which his family couldn't harvest in time.

According to Mr. Ban, this is the fourth consecutive summer-autumn crop season that farmers in the rice-growing areas of Buôn Tría, Buôn Triết, and Đắk Liêng (formerly) communes, now Đắk Liêng (newly), have been affected by floods. "Every year at this time, we're filled with anxiety. All the hard work and money we've invested is swept away by the floods every year," Mr. Ban said sadly.

The rice fields of Mr. Dam Minh Phung's family turned pitch black after being submerged in floodwaters for many days.

Mr. Tran Danh Hiep, Head of the Economic Department of Dak Lieng commune, said: In the 2025 summer-autumn crop season, Dak Lieng commune planted nearly 4,000 hectares of rice. As of early September, only about 150 hectares had been harvested. According to preliminary statistics from the villages, currently about 367 hectares of rice paddies in the commune are flooded, concentrated mainly in the villages of Me Linh 1, Buon Tung 1, Doan Ket 1, Tan Giang, Hung Giang, Hoa Binh 1...

Every year, the summer-autumn crop is affected by floods and heavy rains. Therefore, the People's Committee of Dak Lieng commune had previously issued a document urging farmers to harvest their rice crop with the motto "better to harvest while the rice is still green than to let it ripen too much in the field," in order to avoid losses due to rain and floods. However, despite preparing mentally and taking countermeasures, damage is still unavoidable when natural disasters strike so unexpectedly.

In addition, a section of the riverbank in the commune was also found to have eroded. Upon receiving the information, the leaders of Dak Lieng commune inspected the scene and quickly mobilized militia and local people to use sandbags to reinforce the embankment, aiming to minimize water flooding into nearby areas and prevent further damage. At the same time, they instructed villages and hamlets to regularly inspect and clear the canal system, and reinforce the embankments along the Krong Ana River to protect the rice crops.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/nong-lam-nghiep/202509/vua-lua-dak-lieng-truoc-nguy-co-mat-trang-vi-lu-edf0cf9/