About 1,000 hectares of crops are at risk of drought and water shortage
According to the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction, last week, the average capacity of irrigation reservoirs in the Central Highlands only reached 36%, down 4% compared to last week. Specifically, Kon Tum 39%, Gia Lai 30%, Dak Lak 33%, Dak Nong 45%, Lam Dong 67%. The whole region has 52 dry lakes, of which Kon Tum has 11 lakes, Dak Lak has 21 lakes, Dak Nong has 20 lakes.
In Gia Lai, 268.82 hectares of rice (1.1% of the total rice area of the province) are in drought, outside the irrigation areas of irrigation systems in Dak Doa, Chu Se, Kbang districts. This area has been recommended not to produce in the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop due to unguaranteed water sources.
In Dak Lao commune (Dak Mil district, Dak Nong province), about 200 hectares of coffee trees have been affected by drought and lack of water. If the weather does not improve and there is no rain in the coming time, more crops will be facing serious water shortages.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the Central Highlands region is forecast to have hot weather with the highest common temperature of 35-36 degrees Celsius, some places above 36 degrees Celsius, the lowest relatively humidity is only about 45-50%. The heat in the area is likely to last for the next few days.
Based on weather forecasts and actual conditions, the Department of Management and Construction of Irrigation Works believes that the peak of drought and water shortage in the Central Highlands will start from the end of March, early April and is expected to end in early May 2025.
From now until the end of the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop, the area at risk of being affected by drought and water shortage in the Central Highlands is estimated at 500 - 1,000 hectares, including Gia Lai 100 - 400 hectares, Dak Lak 200 - 300 hectares, Dak Nong 200 - 300 hectares, mainly outside the irrigation works system.
Building a dry warning data set
Although it is a key agricultural economic region of the country, in the Central Highlands, only about 26% of the agricultural area is served by the irrigation system and the remaining 74% of the area depends on natural rainwater. Of which, rice plants, coffee plants and pepper are the main crops affected by water shortage.
Speaking with Lao Dong, a representative of the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction said that right from the beginning of the peak dry season, the Department quickly organized a working group to inspect the drought and water shortage situation in Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces.
In the past time, the Department has continued to strengthen monitoring of meteorological and hydrological situations provided by specialized meteorological and hydrological agencies at home and abroad; organize water source forecasts, assess the impact of drought and water shortage on agricultural production to serve as a basis for organizing effective irrigation works.
At the same time, it is necessary to closely coordinate with units managing and operating hydropower reservoirs to develop a reasonable water regulation plan, ensuring additional water sources for downstream in accordance with the ability of irrigation works to take water and save water from hydropower reservoirs. Prioritize domestic water supply and prepare a plan to ensure minimum water supply for people at risk of water shortage due to the impact of drought.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has cooperated with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to implement the project "Assessing the impact of the Central Highlands drought" with remote sensing technology. The project stands out with the construction of Wapor data sets for the test area, in order to evaluate and monitor drought and dehydration affecting agricultural production through remote sensing technology.
According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tung Phong - Director of the Department of Irrigation Management and Construction, the technical support project will help central and local management staff develop a monitoring and forecasting method for drought and water shortage in a proactive and transparent manner, while creating a premise for replicating the application model nationwide.
Having good forecast and warning information and accurately assessing water needs is an important requirement in ensuring sustainable agricultural production.
