According to local people, many pumping stations in Gia Loc district, Hai Duong province are seriously degraded and operating inefficiently, causing difficulties for farmers in irrigation during the crop season.
According to Lao Dong's records on December 3, at the pumping station in Luong Nham village, Yet Kieu commune, Gia Loc district, the door was infested with termites, and the pump was rusty and operating at a standstill due to long-term use.
Mr. Doan Van Thoai, the person in charge of the pumping station in Luong Nham village, said that the pumping station breaks down every year. Each time it is repaired during the farming season, it takes 4 to 5 days, but on normal days, it takes a whole week to repair it.
In Yet Kieu commune, the water pipes at Huyen Bua pumping station are being covered with burlap because they are heavily oxidized and prone to leakage. After storm No. 3, the roof of this pumping station was completely blown away and is currently only temporarily covered to protect from rain and sun.
“Currently, every time the pump is put into operation, it has to be turned on and off many times because the pump is too old. I hope the local government will soon take measures to upgrade and renovate the pumping station so that it can better serve farmers’ agricultural activities,” said Mr. Pham Van Tac, the person in charge of Huyen Bua pumping station.
Similar to Yet Kieu commune, the Chuoi village pumping station in Le Loi commune is also in the same situation. According to Mr. Pham Van Rong - Manager of the Chuoi village pumping station, Le Loi commune Agricultural Service Cooperative, the machinery at the pumping station has long been rusted, the walls are peeling and cracked.
“The Chuoi village pumping station has been in operation for more than 40 years, providing irrigation for more than 25 hectares of gardens and fields of villagers. The deterioration of the pumping station has made its operation very difficult, especially during each crop season when the demand for irrigation water increases,” said Mr. Rong.
According to Mr. Vu Huu Oanh - Director of Yet Kieu Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative, the pumping stations in Yet Kieu Commune were all built more than 40 years ago, with a capacity of 1,000m3/hour, serving the agricultural production of the people.
The pumping station's constant breakdown and poor performance caused disruptions in the supply of irrigation water to the crops. After several breakdowns, the Cooperative was forced to borrow field pumps from local residents to temporarily solve the problem.
According to Mr. Oanh, the funding for renovating and maintaining the operation of pumping stations in the commune mainly comes from the limited budget of cooperatives and socialization. However, with this small amount of funding, the repair of pumping stations is mainly carried out in a "patch where broken" manner.
“Local people and the Cooperative expect the authorities at all levels and localities to soon come up with a plan to upgrade and comprehensively renovate the pumping station system to ensure a stable and long-term water supply, helping people feel secure in production,” Mr. Oanh added.
