Promoting the key role of irrigation enterprises in developing modern agriculture

Faced with the increasingly severe impacts of climate change, water security has become a vital factor for agricultural production, people's lives and sustainable socio-economic development. In Phu Tho province, Phu Tho State-owned One Member Co., Ltd. Irrigation Works Exploitation has been playing a key role in managing and exploiting the irrigation system, contributing to ensuring stable production, preventing natural disasters and promoting modern agricultural development.

Dien Hong pump cluster ensures irrigation water supply for more than 3,000 hectares in Phong Chau ward and neighboring areas.

Currently, the Company is managing, operating and exploiting 1,789 project points, including: 192 reservoirs, 1,263 dams, 232 electric pumping stations, 109 culverts across the dike, more than 2,281 km of canals and more than 186 km of water supply pipelines. This system serves irrigation, domestic water supply and production for more than 210,870 hectares of 66 communes and wards in the old Phu Tho province. Not only playing a key role in supplying water for agriculture , the project system also serves multiple purposes such as domestic water supply, aquaculture, landscape development and eco-tourism.

However, in reality, the Company is facing many difficulties and challenges. Many projects built long ago have deteriorated and are no longer safe to operate, especially during the rainy season. The small, scattered, and unsynchronized system makes management and maintenance difficult. More worryingly, the water level on the Lo, Thao, and Da rivers has been continuously decreasing since the end of 2022, causing a series of riverside pumping stations to be unable to operate due to water levels falling below the minimum suction level.

Along with that, natural disasters such as flash floods, landslides occur more and more frequently in the midland and mountainous areas, seriously threatening the safety of dams and reservoirs. Meanwhile, the price of public irrigation services regulated by the State is currently only equivalent to the level of compensation for exemption from irrigation fees stipulated in Decree No. 67/2012/ND-CP, applied from 2013 to present. Support funds from the budget and local authorities are still limited, making maintenance and repair work only temporary, not enough to comprehensively upgrade the system. In this situation, the Party Committee and Board of Directors of the Company have proactively implemented many adaptive solutions. Comrade Nguyen Minh Thuy - Party Committee Secretary, Chairman and Director of the Company said: "We clearly identify that the irrigation system is not only a technical infrastructure but also a strategic infrastructure, playing a key role in ensuring water security and agricultural development.

Therefore, the Company's Party Committee has focused on directing resolutely, proposing synchronous solutions such as: Investing in and upgrading reservoirs, dams, and pumping stations; building auxiliary pumping systems in high areas far from water sources; and especially strengthening maintenance and periodic inspection to ensure project safety, ensuring the goal of serving people's lives and long-term production."

Accordingly, the Company has stepped up the reinforcement of spillways, expanded the water storage capacity of the reservoir, and installed additional auxiliary electric pumps in areas that often lack water in the dry season. The pumping stations are scientifically arranged, ensuring connectivity and flexible operation according to the actual situation of each region. Specifically, at the Dien Hong Pumping Cluster of Lam Thao Irrigation Enterprise - one of the key points providing irrigation water for more than 3,000 hectares in Phong Chau ward and neighboring areas - water shortages in the dry season often occur due to a sharp decrease in the water level of the Red River.

Thanks to a good irrigation system, farmers in Phung Nguyen commune have proactive irrigation water sources, ensuring the development of agricultural production.

Comrade Nguyen Van Tuu - Head of Dien Hong Pump Cluster, Lam Thao Irrigation Enterprise shared: “The cluster has 5 main generators, each with a capacity of 3,700m3/hour. But in the dry season, the river water level drops too low, not enough for the machine to operate. To promptly meet production needs, the Company has flexibly installed 4 more generators outside the border gate, each with a capacity of 1,890m3/hour. Thanks to that, we can still maintain the irrigation water supply, not letting farmers be passive.

Without such a timely solution, our entire production area will be seriously affected.” In addition to the task of serving agricultural production, the Company also actively exploits irrigation works in a multi-purpose direction. Many works are used to supply water for daily life, aquaculture, landscape improvement, and promote eco-tourism in localities such as Ly Lake (Thuong Long Commune), Ao Chau Lagoon (Ha Hoa Commune) ... This is a sustainable direction, contributing to diversifying economic value from the irrigation system.

Special attention is paid to natural disaster prevention and control, ensuring dam safety during the rainy season, the Company has carefully developed incident response plans, and forces and vehicles are always ready to respond when unexpected situations occur. At the same time, the Company's Party Committee has directed to strengthen coordination with authorities at all levels and functional branches to mobilize investment resources, linking irrigation work with planning of concentrated production areas and developing high-tech agriculture.

The results achieved in the past time have shown the important role and position of Phu Tho State-owned One Member Limited Liability Company for Irrigation Works Exploitation in ensuring water security, supporting production and improving people's lives. However, to continue to promote its core role, it is necessary to have more attention and stronger investment from relevant levels and sectors. Only when the irrigation system is truly considered a "strategic infrastructure" and is invested synchronously, can the goal of developing green, efficient, climate change-adapted and sustainable agriculture in Phu Tho be achieved in a substantial and long-term manner.

Anh Tho

Source: https://baophutho.vn/phat-huy-vai-tro-chu-luc-cua-doanh-nghiep-thuy-loi-trong-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-hien-dai-239320.htm