In the harsh sun of March days, the sea breeze blows through the sandy strips along the coast in Mo O hamlet, Tran De commune (Can Tho city). But in this dry land, watermelon fields are still green and lush.
Few people know that to maintain that green color right next to the sea, farmers have to find many ways to store and retain water. In the middle of watermelon fields, small ponds are dug to provide a precious source of water for the entire crop season.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hieu, a farmer in Mo O hamlet (Tran De commune, Can Tho city), said that her family has been attached to the coastal melon growing profession for more than ten years. Each year, she grows about 3 melon crops, or 2 melon crops interspersed with 1 peanut crop to improve the soil.
According to her, the coastal sandy land is very difficult to retain water, while the dry season is increasingly prolonged. Therefore, to maintain production, her family and many farmers in the area have dug small ponds right in the fields, laid tarpaulins to store fresh water. When there is rainwater or water is pumped into the pond, people keep it for gradual use. In addition, many households also draw water pipes from their houses to the fields and install drip irrigation systems to save every drop of water.
“Water tap money alone costs about 2 million VND per crop. But if you don't proactively store water, watermelon plants will be uncomfortable in the coastal sun and wind,” Ms. Hieu shared.
In the sandy land rows in Vinh Chau area - famous for the purple onion growing profession - small ponds located next to onion fields are also familiar images.
Mr. Trieu Thanh Hung, a farmer in Vinh Chau ward (Can Tho City), said that most onion fields have at least one water storage pond. Initially, people dug ponds to get soil to build fields higher to avoid flooding. However, later, these ponds became important reserve water sources in the dry season.
According to Mr. Hung, the ponds in the fields are usually about 2–3m wide, 4–8m long and about 2m deep. The ponds both store rainwater in the rainy season and help concentrate water to pump out into the river when it rains heavily. In the dry season, water from drilled wells is pumped into the ponds and then gradually used to water onions.
The weather is more erratic now than before. With a water storage pond, we are much more proactive, both fighting drought and preventing flooding for the onion field," Mr. Hung said.
Similarly, in the watermelon fields of many households in Long Phu and Tran De areas, people directly dig many small ditches to lead water from the irrigation canal to the fields.
Mr. Son Phuol in Tai Van commune (Can Tho City) said that bringing water to the fields both has fresh water for irrigation and saves effort and time because the canals are quite far from the fields. With this approach, the family always has a stable income from growing watermelons in the dry season.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Anh Tuan - Senior Lecturer of the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources (Can Tho University), to cope with the increasing saltwater intrusion, Mekong Delta localities need to prioritize planning and protecting raw water sources, building reservoir systems as well as inter-regional water supply networks, instead of mainly relying on small-scale water supply stations as before.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Anh Tuan said that it is necessary to promote non-constructive solutions such as using water sparingly, collecting and storing rainwater, and reusing water in production. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen communication to help people better understand the fluctuation of water sources and proactively adapt in daily life as well as production.
