Severe heat and prolonged drought have pushed reservoirs across eastern Quảng Ngãi Province to critically low levels, placing thousands of hectares of summer-autumn rice at risk during the crucial flowering and grain-filling stages. Several major reservoirs, including An Hội and Dìu Gà, have reached or are nearing dead storage, forcing farmers and local cooperatives to relocate pumps, dredge irrigation canals and search for alternative water sources in an effort to save their crops.
Authorities say many rice fields are facing severe irrigation shortages as reservoir levels continue to fall. Farmers have been forced to invest in additional pumps and pipelines, increasing production costs while uncertainty over crop yields grows. Water levels across the province’s reservoirs currently average only around 35% of their designed capacity, with some reservoirs holding less than 20%, raising concerns over widespread crop losses if dry conditions persist.
Local officials and irrigation authorities have launched emergency measures, including pumping water from remaining reserves, maintaining irrigation systems and prioritising water supplies for rice fields at the most vulnerable growth stages. They are also assessing areas where cultivation may need to shift to alternative crops while strengthening long-term drought management efforts to reduce the impact of future water shortages. — HanoiPost
