Illustrative image (Source: VNA)Dak Lak (VNA) - An expensiveirrigation system in Ea Sup district of the Central Highlands province of DakLak has been lying idle, while local crops are parched.
Total investment for the project behind EaSup Lake in the Ea Sup district hit 25.3 billion VND (1.1 million USD), withthe construction handled by the state-owned Irrigation Construction andManagement Board No.8 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
According to the original design, the-5kmconcrete construction would transport water from the Upper Ea Sup Lake – thelargest artificial fresh water lake in the province, and second largest in theCentral Highlands – to 200ha of crops in the Ea Sup town and Cu M’lan of Ea Supdistrict.
In 2012, the work was completed, and theirrigation board handed it over to the Dak Lak Irrigation Management JSC tomanage, however, the irrigation system has not yet been used, the NhanDan (People) newspaper reported.
The million-dollar work is in a derelictstate – the irrigation channel doesn’t hold any water but is covered in grass,while due to years of negligence, erosion from rainwater has caused some partsof the channel to collapse, rendering it unusable.
Mai Quoc Vuong, Director of the IrrigationConstruction and Management Board No.8, also disclosed that one of the reasonsthe channel is unused is that it actually is a main channel of a systemcomprising another 10 smaller irrigation channels that will continue totransport water to faraway fields. The government has tasked Dak Lak People’sCommittee with constructing these channels, however, due to budget shortage,the construction has not started, delaying the use of the main channel.
Director of the channel’s current managingcompany, Tran The Hoan, also attributed the non-operation of the channel tothis, reiterating the need for ‘synchronous’ investment to make all thecomponents work effectively.
It’s a great waste, especially considering EaSup district is among the localities hit hardest by drought and one of thepoorest districts in the province. In the dry season, locals have to be mindfulof all they water use for farming and themselves, yet right beside them thereis a huge but unusable irrigation channel.
In recent years, local farming has sufferedgreatly from severe drought, with total losses in some orchards.
Thai Van Chau, a farmer in village 5 of EaSup town, said his family is tending some 6ha of pepper and fruit trees.
Drought is so severe every dry season thatpeople here were elated to see an irrigation channel being built.
“Other households in the area, like me, haveworked on our little plantations for decades, but depended entirely on naturalrainfall,” Chau said, adding that ensuring water for orchards in the dry seasonwould help to earn more income, greatly alleviating poverty.
“We implore authorities to investigatewhatever problems keep the irrigation construction from operating and fix themsoon, avoiding this unfortunate waste of state funds,” he said. Many peoplelocated in areas where the channel courses through echoed Chau’s comments.
Doan Van Vinh, a resident of village 7, CuM’lan commune, said that some locals have even filled some parts of the channelto make ‘roads’ into their orchards.
Vuong said the board completed qualityassessment of the work before handing it over. “The board has ensured theconstruction follows the original design approved by the authorities.”
“Whether the channel can be used efficientlyis entirely up to local authorities and the managing company. The managingcompany has the responsibility to conduct frequent maintenance,” he said.-VNA
Total investment for the project behind EaSup Lake in the Ea Sup district hit 25.3 billion VND (1.1 million USD), withthe construction handled by the state-owned Irrigation Construction andManagement Board No.8 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
According to the original design, the-5kmconcrete construction would transport water from the Upper Ea Sup Lake – thelargest artificial fresh water lake in the province, and second largest in theCentral Highlands – to 200ha of crops in the Ea Sup town and Cu M’lan of Ea Supdistrict.
In 2012, the work was completed, and theirrigation board handed it over to the Dak Lak Irrigation Management JSC tomanage, however, the irrigation system has not yet been used, the NhanDan (People) newspaper reported.
The million-dollar work is in a derelictstate – the irrigation channel doesn’t hold any water but is covered in grass,while due to years of negligence, erosion from rainwater has caused some partsof the channel to collapse, rendering it unusable.
Mai Quoc Vuong, Director of the IrrigationConstruction and Management Board No.8, also disclosed that one of the reasonsthe channel is unused is that it actually is a main channel of a systemcomprising another 10 smaller irrigation channels that will continue totransport water to faraway fields. The government has tasked Dak Lak People’sCommittee with constructing these channels, however, due to budget shortage,the construction has not started, delaying the use of the main channel.
Director of the channel’s current managingcompany, Tran The Hoan, also attributed the non-operation of the channel tothis, reiterating the need for ‘synchronous’ investment to make all thecomponents work effectively.
It’s a great waste, especially considering EaSup district is among the localities hit hardest by drought and one of thepoorest districts in the province. In the dry season, locals have to be mindfulof all they water use for farming and themselves, yet right beside them thereis a huge but unusable irrigation channel.
In recent years, local farming has sufferedgreatly from severe drought, with total losses in some orchards.
Thai Van Chau, a farmer in village 5 of EaSup town, said his family is tending some 6ha of pepper and fruit trees.
Drought is so severe every dry season thatpeople here were elated to see an irrigation channel being built.
“Other households in the area, like me, haveworked on our little plantations for decades, but depended entirely on naturalrainfall,” Chau said, adding that ensuring water for orchards in the dry seasonwould help to earn more income, greatly alleviating poverty.
“We implore authorities to investigatewhatever problems keep the irrigation construction from operating and fix themsoon, avoiding this unfortunate waste of state funds,” he said. Many peoplelocated in areas where the channel courses through echoed Chau’s comments.
Doan Van Vinh, a resident of village 7, CuM’lan commune, said that some locals have even filled some parts of the channelto make ‘roads’ into their orchards.
Vuong said the board completed qualityassessment of the work before handing it over. “The board has ensured theconstruction follows the original design approved by the authorities.”
“Whether the channel can be used efficientlyis entirely up to local authorities and the managing company. The managingcompany has the responsibility to conduct frequent maintenance,” he said.-VNA
VNA
