Reservoir with bare bottom before the peak dry season
Although not yet at the peak of the dry season, the water in ponds and lakes in Ia Rve commune has dropped to near the "dead water" level. The mud patches are revealing more and more, the lake bed is clearly narrowed, signaling that the water source is gradually drying out.
People are forced to divide each time to get water for rice fields. Many people wake up from early morning, patiently waiting for hours just to bring a little water to the fields.
At 5 am on a day in mid-April 2026, when the sun had not yet risen, reporters witnessed Mr. Ha Van Dai and dozens of households in hamlet 10, Ia Rve commune present by the natural lake of the hamlet. People carrying pipes, people carrying tanks... lined up waiting for their turn to get water to irrigate rice.
Attached to this land since 2003, Mr. Dai has become accustomed to farming dependent on nature. But in recent years, the harshness of drought has become more and more obvious. "Farming rice but only knowing how to look to the sky. In years when the lake still has water, it is better, in dry years, crops are infertile" - Mr. Dai pondered.
Need fundamental solutions
Faced with the drought situation, forces stationed in the area have proactively supported people with many immediate solutions such as increasing clean water trucks and establishing temporary water supply points.
Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Xuan Tuyen - Political Commissar of Ia R've Border Guard Station - shared understanding of the people's shortages, especially in domestic and production water, the unit has coordinated with local authorities to organize clean water transportation, and at the same time supported digging wells in some areas.
These solutions initially help people have more water sources to serve their lives and cultivation. However, according to the assessment of local authorities, this is still only a temporary measure, which cannot completely solve the prolonged water shortage situation.
Leading us along the field of more than 20ha in hamlet 10, Mr. Nguyen Huy Tien - Secretary of the Party Committee of Ia Rve commune - said that the biggest wish of the people is to invest in upgrading the natural lake.
According to Mr. Tien, the current inadequacy is that in the rainy season, the lake has abundant water but cannot hold it because the discharge gate is always open, water flows downstream on its own. If the discharge gate is closed, and the dyke surface and lake bed are upgraded, the water storage capacity will be significantly improved.
Failure to control the discharge flow causes water source loss, while in the dry season, people fall into a serious water shortage situation. From this reality, upgrading reservoirs, renovating dyke systems and controlling flow is considered an important solution to increase long-term water storage capacity.
Irrigation works open the way for people to escape poverty
Not only stopping at upgrading reservoirs, developing an internal field canal system to bring water to fields is considered a fundamental and sustainable solution. In recent years, with support from the Central Government, irrigation projects and tens of kilometers long canals have opened up a stable direction for agricultural development for people.
In Ia Lop border commune, the more than 50km long internal field canal leading water from Ia Mo irrigation lake (Gia Lai) to the locality has shown clear effectiveness. According to Mr. Vi Van Chu - specialist of Ia Lop Commune Economic Department, this system effectively exploits nearly 50ha of production land, meeting about 70-80% of irrigation needs.
Thanks to proactive water sources, people have converted crop structure from short-term crops to wet rice, mangoes, longans, cashews... bringing higher economic efficiency. Reality shows that when there is suitable irrigation infrastructure, people not only overcome drought but also improve production value and stabilize livelihoods.
In the context of climate change and increasing drought, investment in irrigation infrastructure is becoming increasingly urgent. For people in border areas like Ia Rve, water is not only for production but also a condition to preserve land, preserve villages, and maintain life.
In the strategic orientation, in order to ensure food security, stabilize life and create livelihoods for ethnic minorities, especially in difficult border areas, Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee will continue to study and implement irrigation projects and at the same time, propose to the Central Government to supplement capital sources to invest in key areas, helping people feel secure in production and develop sustainable agriculture.
Mr. Nguyen Thien Van - Vice Chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee - informed that the current irrigation system, although invested for many years, still does not meet the production and living needs, especially in the peak dry season. Many works are degraded, the ability to store and regulate water is limited, while the demand for irrigation is increasing, especially for key industrial crops such as coffee and pepper. Researching and proposing new irrigation projects is therefore an urgent requirement to improve the capacity to respond to climate change and ensure stable water sources.
