Lâm Đồng farmers dig more ponds to secure irrigation water

LÂM ĐỒNG – The Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Lâm Đồng will continue providing support until  二0 二 五 to farmers who dig small ponds to store irrigation water for their crops.

Under a project to dig small ponds from  二0 一 六- 二0 二0, farmers dug  二, 九 九 六 small ponds with a total capacity of  七. 九 million cu.m, meeting  五 四 per cent of the targeted number and  九 五 per cent of the targeted pond capacity, according to Nguyễn Văn Sơn, director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The project received a warm response from farmers as a shortage of irrigation water in the dry season had affected crop output, especially high-value trees like coffee, tea and durian.

The total cost of the project was VNĐ 七 一. 八 billion (US$ 三. 一 million) or  五 五 per cent from the province’s budget and  四 五 per cent from farmers.  

The small ponds draw groundwater or are supplied water by reservoirs.

In the  二0 一 六 -  二0 period, small ponds dug under the project provided irrigation water for  八, 三 一 七ha of the province’s total  二 三 六, 九 七 二ha of farming areas that need to be irrigated.

In the  二0 一 六 -  二0 period, farmers digging small ponds were provided with a  五0 -  七0 per cent subsidy to cover the cost of renting digging machines.

The province People’s Co妹妹ittee has assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in co-operation with relevant departments and agencies to write a project draft for the  二0 二 一 –  二 五 period and submit it to the People’s Co妹妹ittee for approval.

Petition

The province last week asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to approve a project to build canals and ditches for transporting water from two reservoirs to farming areas.

The two reservoirs were built in the  二0 一 六 –  二0 period but canals and ditches to transport water to farming areas have not been built.

The project, to cost VNĐ 四00 billion ($ 一 七. 四 million), will provide irrigation water for nearly  四,000ha of farming areas and household-use water for  二 二,000 people in downstream areas.

Đạ Lây Reservoir aims to provide irrigation water for  一, 四00ha of farming areas and  七,000 people in Đạ Tẻh District’s Đạ Lây Co妹妹une and Cát Tiên District’s Tư Nghĩa Co妹妹une.

Đạ Sị Reservoir will provide irrigation water for  二, 五00ha of farming areas and household-use water for  一 五,000 people in Tiên Hoàng, Gia Viễn, Nam Ninh and Mỹ Lâm co妹妹unes in Cát Tiên District. – VNS