A canal that provides water to irrigate rice fields in Đắk Lắk Province’s Lắk District has dried up. – VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

ĐẮK LẮK – Authorities and farmers in Đắk Lắk Province are taking measures to cope with a water shortage as the peak dry season begins.

According to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, drought is forecast from the end of this month. Drying water in rivers and streams will affect farming.

The Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province has 655,000ha of farmlands, the country’s highest, and according to the department, 8,000ha are likely to be affected by drought.

In Lắk District, dry weather began mid-month, causing a water shortage for the winter-spring crop in many areas.

Y Soa Niê, a farmer in Đắk’s Bông Krang Commune, said his family’s 1,000sq.m winter-spring rice could wither because dams and canals in the area have dried up.

He has had to drill a borewell in his field, he said.

However, drawing groundwater is complex and would not be adequate anyway if the drought is prolonged.

Y Tuyên Du, deputy chairman of the Bông Krang People’s Committee, said water levels in local streams have been low since early this year, causing reservoirs to dry up.

The commune has 923ha of crops needing irrigation, with 63ha of rice currently flowering and facing a threat of total loss, he said.

The hot and dry weather is expected to prolong, he added.

Nguyễn Viết Quang, head of the Đắk District Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the district People’s Committee has approved a plan to mitigate the shortage of water for irrigation and household use.

It requires farmers to use pumps to draw water in areas where it is still available, he said.

He said farmers who grow crops in zoned areas would receive financial assistance under Government regulations if the drought damages them.

Nguyễn Hoài Dương, the department's director, said the People's Committee and the department had developed a plan to cope with natural disasters this year.

He said localities must focus on coping with drought and water shortage, make suitable agricultural production plans, improve management and protection of water resources, instruct farmers to store water and use it efficiently, and restructure crop cultivation to grow short-term, drought-resistant plants.

He said they should assess water reserves in reservoirs and irrigation works and draft plans to use water efficiently. They should prioritise using water from rivers and streams first before drawing from ponds, temporary lakes, irrigation works, and hydroelectric reservoirs.

He added that they should dredge and repair irrigation canals, build temporary dams, set up temporary pumping stations, drill borewells, and create new irrigation works. – VNS