The province’s 21 mainreservoirs now have a total of 88.2 million of cubic metres of water, equal to45 percent of their total water storage capacity, according to the province’sIrrigation Works Exploitation One-Member Company.
Of the reservoirs, only the SongSat reservoir in Bac Ai district has 52.4 million cubic metres of water instorage compared to its capacity of 69.3 million cubic metres, while more than10 reservoirs have less than 1 million cubic metres of water each, and somereservoirs are facing depletion.
The quantity of water in the 21main reservoirs can only supply irrigation water for some areas in thewinter-spring crop, according to the company.
The water of the Song Satreservoir will be given priority to supply households and animals.
The province, which has theleast rainfall in the country, is expected to have very hot weather and no rainfrom now to February next year.
Phan Quang Thuu, Deputy Directorof the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said toensure irrigation water from now to the end of the winter-spring crop, thedepartment had warned localities to only grow crops in low-lying areas and inareas which have enough irrigation water.
The department consulted theprovincial People’s Committee to adjust the farming area for the winter-springcrop to 20,000ha, including 11,000ha of rice.
Localities which facedifficulty in securing irrigation water for farming should restructure cropcultivation to suit their situation, and save irrigation water for householduse and animals, he said.
In Thuan Nam district, whichhas suffered more severe conditions than most other districts, six reservoirscontain a low level of water because of lack of sufficient rainfall this year.
Farmers in the district’s manyareas have stopped growing crops on more than 800ha this year.
With the current situation, thedistrict is expected to reduce the farming area of the winter-spring cropfurther because of a shortage of irrigation water.
Besides the province’sreservoirs, Don Duong Reservoir in neighbouring Lam Dong province also supplieswater for irrigation and household use in many districts in Ninh Thuan.
The Don Duoơng Reservoir, whichis managed by the Da Nhim – Ham Thuan – Da Mi Hydro Power Joint Stock Companyin Lam Dong province, now has 139.2 million cubic metres of water compared toits capacity of 165 million cubic metres.
Luu Xuan Vinh, Chairman of theprovincial People’s Committee, has asked the department and the province’sIrrigation Works Exploitation One-Member Company to work with the Da Nhim – HamThuan – Da Mi Hydro Power Joint Stock Company to set up a plan to supplyirrigation water for the winter-spring crop in Ninh Thuan.
The province would not supplyirrigation water for crops in unzoned farming areas and areas that do notrestructure crop cultivation, he said.
The provincial People’s Committeetargets restructuring 1,500ha of dry crop cultivation to cope with climatechange this year. Localities have restructured 1,371ha of 1,500ha so far thisyear./.