(binhthuan.gov.vn) In order to ensure water sources for daily life, agricultural production and other economic sectors, to be proactive in preventing and combating drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion due to the impact of El Nino phenomenon, the People's Committee of Ham Tan district has issued a plan to prevent and combat drought and lack of water for domestic use and agricultural production in the period of 2023-2025 in the district.

According to the plan, the exploitation and use of water resources must be reasonable and economical. Implementing drought response on the principles: Prioritizing water for domestic use, water for livestock, water for irrigation of perennial crops with high economic value, ensuring water for daily life; advising people not to produce in places where there is a risk of water shortage and to switch to producing suitable, water-saving crops; the use of funds for drought response must be timely, thrifty, efficient, and in accordance with processes and regulations. On the other hand, monitoring weather developments, specifically checking water sources, identifying water-assured areas and areas at risk of drought and lack of water, proactively and reasonably regulating and adjusting seasonal schedules; changing the structure of plants and animals in accordance with the water source capacity for each specific period.

In order to effectively implement this plan, the locality has proposed two groups of drought prevention and control measures, including non-structural measures and structural measures. Specifically, for non-structural measures, Ham Tan will concentrate all resources to organize propaganda and mobilize people to actively participate in effective drought prevention and control. Organizing specific inspection and assessment of water sources in rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, dams, main canals, zoning locations and areas likely to be in short supply of water sources, actively converting to planting dry crops that use less water for irrigation but have high economic value. At the same time, the locality will arrange a concentrated planting season schedule, specifically for each region, each area, and each field to facilitate water supply for irrigation.

Communes and towns shall develop specific drought prevention plans, strengthen monitoring of weather developments and forecasts of the Hydro-meteorological Agency to promptly deploy appropriate solutions to combat drought, minimize damage to production caused by drought and water shortage. Reviewing and updating water sources of reservoirs in order to develop a plan on rational, efficient and economical use of water, suitable to the capacity of water sources; giving priority to water for domestic use, drinking water for livestock, irrigation for perennial crops of high economic value and water supply for industrial zones and clusters when drought occurs.

In addition, strengthening propaganda and guiding people on storing water measures, economical use of water in daily life and production, raising awareness and seriously implementing drought prevention plans in localities. Promptly preventing and strictly handling cases of arbitrarily blocking, filling, digging and cutting canals to get water that do not follow the water supply plan; disputes over water sources, causing insecurity in the locality.

For structural measures, Ham Tan will focus on investing in construction of works for drought prevention. Applying new technologies to agricultural production, advanced and saving water irrigation, such as: Agro - exposed - dry, alternate wet and dry, misting, dripping and replicating these models. On the other hand, organizing temporary dams, embankments on streams and low-lying areas to store water at the end of the rainy season, installing field pumping stations to store and exploit water sources in case of drought. Digging ponds, drilling wells, building household water tanks to store water for domestic use; equipping water tanks at the headquarters of villages, quarters, cultural houses, residential quarters, Commune People's Committees, areas with high risk of water shortage in the dry season to provide daily-life water in the event of a drought...

Reportedly, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the El Nino phenomenon may appear in the second half of summer of 2023 and remain until 2024 with a probability of about 70-80%. El Nino often causes a shortage of rainfall in most regions of the country, from 25-50% in common.

TT Dân