The Próh Irrigation Reservoir in Lâm Đồng Province’s Đơn Dương District. The province has built more small irrigation ponds to cope with drought in recent years. – VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Dũng

LÂM ĐỒNG – The Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Lâm Đồng will continue providing support until 2025 to farmers who dig small ponds to store irrigation water for their crops.

Under a project to dig small ponds from 2016-2020, farmers dug 2,996 small ponds with a total capacity of 7.9 million cu.m, meeting 54 per cent of the targeted number and 95 per cent of the targeted pond capacity, according to Nguyễn Văn Sơn, director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The project received a warm response from farmers as a shortage of irrigation water in the dry season had affected crop output, especially high-value trees like coffee, tea and durian.

The total cost of the project was VNĐ71.8 billion (US$3.1 million) or 55 per cent from the province’s budget and 45 per cent from farmers.  

The small ponds draw groundwater or are supplied water by reservoirs.

In the 2016 - 20 period, small ponds dug under the project provided irrigation water for 8,317ha of the province’s total 236,972ha of farming areas that need to be irrigated.

In the 2016 - 20 period, farmers digging small ponds were provided with a 50 - 70 per cent subsidy to cover the cost of renting digging machines.

The province People’s Committee has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in co-operation with relevant departments and agencies to write a project draft for the 2021 – 25 period and submit it to the People’s Committee for approval.

Petition

The province last week asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve a project to build canals and ditches for transporting water from two reservoirs to farming areas.

The two reservoirs were built in the 2016 – 20 period but canals and ditches to transport water to farming areas have not been built.

The project, to cost VNĐ400 billion ($17.4 million), will provide irrigation water for nearly 4,000ha of farming areas and household-use water for 22,000 people in downstream areas.

Đạ Lây Reservoir aims to provide irrigation water for 1,400ha of farming areas and 7,000 people in Đạ Tẻh District’s Đạ Lây Commune and Cát Tiên District’s Tư Nghĩa Commune.

Đạ Sị Reservoir will provide irrigation water for 2,500ha of farming areas and household-use water for 15,000 people in Tiên Hoàng, Gia Viễn, Nam Ninh and Mỹ Lâm communes in Cát Tiên District. – VNS