Need large capital investment for irrigation

Irrigation canal system in Phu Dien commune (Tan Phu district) Photo: Phan Anh

In the new period, Dong Nai needs large capital to invest in the construction and development of irrigation canal systems to better meet production needs and limit the abuse of groundwater in production.

Have not met production requirements

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the province currently has 131 irrigation works in operation, including: 16 reservoirs, 56 weirs, 36 pumping stations, 8 works to prevent saltwater and flood, 15 canals to create sources and drainage canals serves to irrigate nearly 32.5 thousand hectares. The total length of canals in the province is over 478 kms. The area for irrigation is over 23.5 thousand hectares, the drainage  service area is over 305.7 hectares, the area for saltwater prevention is over 8.6 thousand hectares. With a total agricultural land area of ​​nearly 281,000 hectares, the irrigation system in the province can only meet more than 11% of the agricultural land area, still too little compared to the actual production demand in the localities.

Because the irrigation system can only meet a small part of the demand for irrigation water, the agricultural production in the province is heavily dependent on water from the rains and underground. The worry of water shortage, especially the lack of water for production in the dry season is always a difficult problem for farmers in Dong Nai, especially in mountainous districts and severely arid regions such as Xuan Loc and Tan Phu, Cam My…

Mr Nguyen Van Tien, a farmer at Lam San commune (Cam My district), worries that this locality has no irrigation works, so all production activities rely on sources from drilled wells. Previously, gardeners only needed to drill a few tens of meters to get water, but now there are places where they have to drill to a depth of 60m, even 100m, but not all wells have enough water. In the dry season, farmers always face many difficulties in irrigation, even have to stay up all night to take advantage of pumping water to water their gardens. “We farmers urgently need the State to pay attention to investing in irrigation systems, especially when the risks of weather and environment due to the impact of climate change become more and more serious. In addition, we look forward to supporting the application of an economical irrigation system to reduce production costs and help to reduce the waste of an increasingly depleted groundwater source," said Mr Tien.

Prioritize investment capital

Da Ton Lake is the reservoir supplying water to the irrigation system in Xuan Loc district. Photo: Phan Anh

Dong Nai is developing a plan to develop irrigation canal system associated with new rural construction by 2025, with orientation to 2030. Specifically in the period of 2021-2030, the total length of canals will be solidified, additional extension is more than 663 km. The capacity to serve agricultural production from irrigation works is nearly 36,000 hectares, increase more than 3.4 thousand hectares compared to 2020.

In the period of 2021-2030, the total estimated investment capital for the canal and irrigation system is over VND 1.2 trillion. In which, it is over 155 billion VND in the period of 2021-2025, including over 388.6 billion VND from budget capital and 166.6 billion VND from socialization fund. In the period 2025-2030, the total investment capital is expected to be over 651 billion VND, the budget capital is nearly 456 billion VND, and the socialization capital is over 195 billion VND. Irrigation investment is prioritized for mountainous districts with difficulties in production water, requiring large capital in investment for irrigation systems such as: Tan Phu, Dinh Quan, Xuan Loc...

Mr Vu Quoc Viet, Director of the Provincial Sub-Department of Cultivation, Plant Protection and Irrigation said that in addition to the irrigation systems and works included in the scheme, many localities have had recommendations to review and supplement to invest in new irrigation projects, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will work with localities to continue reviewing and adding appropriate investment recommendations to the project.