In the early days of July, after a long period of hot weather causing the water level in the Son La Hydropower reservoir to drop low, consecutive rains helped the reservoir water rise again.
Along with the change in water levels, the lives of people living along the lake have also gradually stabilized, and tourism, aquaculture and seafood exploitation activities have begun to become more vibrant.
Present in Quynh Nhai commune (Son La province) - a locality considered the center of lake tourism and large cage fish farming in the area, Lao Dong Newspaper reporters recorded that the lake surface has expanded, clearer than at the end of June.
Mr. Lo Van Trong, representative of Quynh Nhai Travel Joint Stock Company, said that at the end of June, the lake water dropped very low, causing many difficulties for tourism activities.
The deep retreat makes many hillsides in the middle of the lake exposed, the Pa Uon bridge pier is clearly visible. Waterway traffic is affected, and the number of passengers has decreased significantly.
However, for more than a week now, prolonged rain has caused the water to rise rapidly, and tourists have begun to return. Especially on weekends, the number of tourists booking tours to explore Uy Phong Bay is gradually increasing," Mr. Trong shared.
Not only the tourism sector is flourishing, but cage fish farming is also more favorable as water levels are improved.
Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Director of Chieng Lao Fisheries Cooperative, said that his family is raising 15 fish cages on the lake. At times when the water is low, fish cages must move away from the shore to ensure depth and appropriate temperature for fish to grow.
In recent days, the water has risen quite quickly, so we have returned the fish rafts to their old locations. The care and transportation of food are more convenient, and the fish are developing stably, so people are very excited," Mr. Tuan said.
In Muong Trai village, Muong La commune, Mr. Lo Van Viet, who has been attached to the lake fishing profession for many years, also said that the exploitation output is clearly increasing.
When the water is shallow, there are very few shrimp and fish. Now that the water has risen, I catch about 5-7kg of shrimp of all kinds every day. Large shrimp are immediately purchased by traders at a price of about 100,000 VND/kg. When the water rises, everyone around the lake has an additional income," Mr. Viet shared.
According to information from Son La Hydropower Plant, as of July 11, the reservoir water level reached 196.26m, 18.74m lower than the normal water level (215m). Inflow to the reservoir reached 4,082m3/second, total discharge flow reached 2,593m3/second.
Although the water level is still much lower than the design, it is sufficient to basically restore the production and livelihood activities of people in the reservoir area.
Along the lakeside routes, many fishing boats, passenger boats and fish farming rafts are operating again. The land that was once exposed when the water was shallow is now gradually covered by the water surface.
Son La Hydropower reservoir not only plays an important role in power generation but is also a livelihood for thousands of households through cage fish farming, fishing and ecotourism development.
Although the water level is still lower than the normal rising water level, the rebound in lake water has helped economic activities on the lake bed gradually recover.
People expect water levels to continue to stabilize so that cage fish farming, seafood exploitation and ecotourism can develop favorably, contributing to increasing income and creating momentum for the lake basin economy.
