50 years of "drought treatment" of Binh Thuan: Prosperity is not only along La Nga river

This is the journey from passive to active production of farmers, and also the journey of joining hands during the initial difficulties. Now looking back, people realize that although the investment was temporary, the results were beyond expectations.

Temporary but effective

At this time, when rice prices have not shown any signs of increasing, the fields along the La Nga River of Duc Linh and Tanh Linh districts are all green with summer-autumn rice that is more than 20 days to 2 months old. The total irrigated summer-autumn rice area in 2025 of the two districts is 12,254 hectares, of which Tanh Linh district is 6,608 hectares and Duc Linh is 5,646 hectares. That is not to mention the rice area and other crops not included in the irrigation area of ​​La Nga Branch Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited. Compared to the same crop in 2024, the above area has decreased but not significantly. However, in the area identified as the province's key rice production area with a rice growing area of ​​over 20,000 hectares/crop, increasing or decreasing the production area is flexible in each crop season, depending on the timing of market prices and sometimes also depending on the amount of water available on the La Nga River.

Harvesting rice in the large-scale field of Tanh Linh. Photo: N.Lan

According to farmers growing along the La Nga River, although there are fluctuations in rice acreage, there is no situation of abandoning the winter-spring rice crop like in the past, due to lack of water. Farmers have the opportunity to choose, instead of growing rice, they can switch to growing other crops, which are predicted to have higher prices and more profits.

This is a journey from passive to active production of farmers, and also a journey of joining hands during the initial difficulties. Now looking back, people realize that although the investment was temporary, the results were beyond expectations.

According to the La Nga Branch Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited (La Nga Irrigation Branch), before 2000, there were many dams on streams in the La Nga riverside area but they could only irrigate summer-autumn and winter-spring rice crops, there was no water to irrigate the winter-spring crop, although this was the main crop with high productivity. In Duc Linh, the only irrigation for the winter-spring crop was Vo Xu pumping station with an irrigation capacity of about 3,000 hectares, but due to the weak and unstable diesel power source, the irrigation area was very low, such as in 2000, only 1,405 hectares/year could be irrigated. In Tanh Linh district, in 1998, Dong Kho pumping station was invested in, but the irrigation area only reached 129 hectares/ha. La Nga Irrigation Branch made great efforts in management and coordination with localities and water users in the two districts, but by 2000, it could only irrigate 3,050 hectares/year. On the other hand, floods and droughts often occur every year, causing crop failures.

To overcome the above situation while waiting for the Ta Pao Dam to be built, in the desire to take advantage of the discharged water of the Ham Thuan - Da Mi Hydropower Plant, the La Nga Irrigation Branch has researched, boldly advised, and proposed in the period 2001 - 2010, to build pumping stations along the La Nga River along with a basic canal system suitable for the Ta Pao irrigation system later. Accordingly, despite the difficult budget, 16 pumping stations along the La Nga River have been formed and put into use, contributing to basically solving the water source for agricultural production in the two districts. Because from 3,500 hectares irrigated in 2000, by 2010, the two districts have irrigated over 25,933 hectares/year. La Nga River water is brought deep into the communes, not stopping at the riverside area.

Journey of solidarity

The period when the pumping stations along the La Nga River appeared was also the time when the State and the People worked together on irrigation. At that time, the provincial budget only invested in the main works, the canal system and works on the main canal and the first-class canals with large irrigation areas, while the people contributed funds to build the intra-field canal system and mobilized people to donate land to build canals. It is worth noting that the canals leading water to the fields of the two districts that were built at that time all took into account the continuity, and would be connected when the Ta Pao Dam came into operation.

Hybrid corn field in La Ngau, Tanh Linh. Photo: N.Lan

In fact, when in 2010 the state started to build the Ta Pao irrigation project with the main North canal and the main South canal, then the La Nga Irrigation Branch quickly implemented steps so that the above canal system could be connected and connected conveniently to serve continuous irrigation without interruption. The branch coordinated with localities to inspect areas that could take advantage of irrigation water sources to outline the most suitable level 1, level 2 canals..., proposed to the company and related departments in the 2 districts to invest in construction and take advantage of existing works and canals to propose upgrading and repairing them for use. These systems of works are guaranteed to be suitable for the design of the Ta Pao irrigation system for connection... As for small irrigation works managed by localities, the branch worked with localities to mobilize people to donate land and invest in building intra-field canal systems to serve irrigation. Not only that, it is also necessary to calculate and balance water resources to make a specific water supply plan for each irrigation session and each crop, consult the Company, Duc Linh District People's Committee and Tanh Linh District People's Committee to work with Ham Thuan - Da Mi Hydropower Company on the demand for flow and appropriate power generation time to serve irrigation.

According to the leaders of the two districts, in 2013, the Standing Committee of Binh Thuan Provincial Party Committee issued Directive No. 39-CT/TU on leadership to widely launch the emulation movement to build small-scale irrigation works, with the goal of striving to bring irrigation water to all fields with conditions in the whole province. From here, the authorities and people of the two districts of Tanh Linh and Duc Linh continued to build small-scale irrigation works, continuing to extend the intra-field canals. Up to now, the intra-field canals managed by the communes are nearly 222 km long, of which Duc Linh is nearly 134 km, Tanh Linh is nearly 88 km. Thanks to that, the annual irrigation area increases every year, by 2020 the irrigation area of ​​the two districts will reach 37,050 ha/year. By 2024, the irrigated area will be 39,539 hectares/year... It is worth mentioning that thanks to the irrigation works, although not yet completed according to the plan, currently, the 2 districts along the La Nga River are prosperous, not only along the river.

Currently, in the two districts of Tanh Linh and Duc Linh, there are still many areas that have not been irrigated by the irrigation system, and irrigation operations still face many difficulties due to a number of reasons. That is, the Ta Pao irrigation system has not been fully invested in; the canals and works on the intra-field canals are still lacking... Therefore, the establishment of La Nga 3 Lake, then the renovation and upgrading of Bien Lac Lake is very necessary for sustainable irrigation in the two districts.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/50-nam-tri-han-cua-binh-thuan-su-tru-phu-khong-chi-ven-song-la-nga-131270.html