Water levels are getting worse
On the evening of April 18, the Dak Nong Provincial Hydrometeorological Station issued a hot weather bulletin in the area. Accordingly, in the past 24 hours, the northern part of the province has been hot.
The highest temperature in Ea T'ling (Cu cut district) is 36.8°C, Duc Xuyen (Krong No district) is 36.5°C.
It is forecasted that in the next 24 to 48 hours, the northern area of the province (Cu cut district, Krong No) will have hot weather with the highest temperature from 35 - 37°C.
According to the report of the agricultural sector, the current Dak Nong weather is dry, with an average temperature of 15-34°C and an average humidity of 70-78%.
The flow of rivers and streams continues to decrease, many small rivers and streams have run out, causing the water reserve in irrigation reservoirs to decrease rapidly.
Although some areas have recorded rainfall of 10-30mm, it is still not enough to solve the ongoing drought.
Many irrigation works run out of water
Currently, in Dak Nong province, there are a total of 310 irrigation works, including 256 reservoirs and many other systems. The total designed capacity for the reservoirs is about 182 million m3.
Currently, the reservoirs only have about 87 million m3, equivalent to 49% of the designed capacity. Some districts such as Cu cut and Krong No are at an alarming level with low water capacity.
Up to now, 18 reservoir projects managed by Dak Nong Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited have run out of water. Of which, Dak Mil district has 14 projects; Dak Song and Dak Rlap districts each have 2 projects.
Mr. Truong Xuan Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Lao commune (Dak Mil district) said that there are 7 irrigation works in the area. To date, 6 projects have run out of water.
Recently, the irrigation company has regulated water from West Lake (Dak Mil town, Dak Mil district) to lakes and dams in Dak Lao commune.
However, the amount of irrigation water is still not enough. The prolonged heat caused some wells of many households to dry up.
The whole commune has about 5,000 hectares of industrial crops, including coffee, pepper and fruit trees. Through on-site inspection, due to lack of irrigation water, about 200 hectares of coffee have been affected.
If the weather does not improve and there is no rain in the coming time, about 700 hectares of crops will face a serious water shortage.
The Dak Lao commune government has recommended that the irrigation company increase pumps and regularly transit water from West Lake to irrigation lakes and dams in the area.
At the same time, all levels and sectors need to pay attention to investing in renovating, dredging and upgrading old irrigation works. Supporting investment in new irrigation lakes is also very necessary to ensure irrigation water for people.
According to the forecast, if the weather does not improve and the heat continues, the risk of local drought will increase in Dak Nong province. Especially in the northern districts of the province such as Cu cut, Krong No, and Dak Mil.
According to statistics, in recent years, droughts have greatly affected crops in Dak Nong province.
Specifically, in 2016, 18,500 hectares of crops were affected. By 2020, it will increase to 24,950 hectares and 8,800 hectares in 2024.
