Posted on April 13, 2026
The prolonged heatwave in early April, coupled with low water levels in the Lam River, is causing difficulties in ensuring irrigation water in Nghe An province. In response, irrigation units are urgently clearing water hyacinths, dredging canals, and restoring water flow to guarantee water for the spring rice crop during the heading and flowering stages.
Water hyacinth “blocks the flow,” increasing irrigation water pressure.
The dense growth of water hyacinth in irrigation canals in Nghe An province is becoming a worrying problem, directly affecting the ability to channel water for the spring rice crop. Observations in many localities show that, in a short time, water hyacinth has covered the water surface over a wide area, significantly reducing the water flow from the Lam River into the inland irrigation system.
Along a 3-kilometer-long canal at the Tho Son – Cho Cau pumping station (Nghi Loc commune), which draws water from the Gai River, serious flow obstruction is occurring. Water hyacinths are growing densely, covering almost the entire water surface, causing prolonged blockages in many sections of the canal. This is an important irrigation project with a designed capacity of 6,500 m³/hour, responsible for supplying irrigation water to over 540 hectares of rice fields in Nghi Loc and Trung Loc communes.
Faced with this situation, the Nghi Loc Irrigation Enterprise mobilized more than 80 workers along with vehicles and machinery to remove the water hyacinths and clear the waterway. Many workers had to wade directly into the canal, immersing themselves in the water and using rudimentary tools such as nets and rakes to collect the hyacinths, gradually clearing the water surface.
Machinery is used to dredge the canal leading to the Tho Son – Cho Cau pumping station. Photo: Van Truong
Not only is the canal system here “besieged” by water hyacinths, but it also faces the problem of prolonged siltation. The layer of silt that has accumulated over time at the bottom of the canals has narrowed the flow cross-section, significantly reducing their water carrying capacity. In this context, dredging has become an urgent task, requiring a large amount of work and must be completed within a short time to ensure timely irrigation for the spring rice crop.
The disruption to irrigation water supply has caused concern among many households. Ms. Tran Thi Minh, a resident of Hamlet 3, Nghi Loc Commune, shared: “My family has 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of rice that is in the flowering stage. The prolonged hot weather is causing the fields to lose water quickly. We just hope that the irrigation unit will soon complete the dredging of the canals to ensure a stable water supply to our fields.”
According to Mr. Dang Xuan Duyet, Director of Nghi Loc Irrigation Enterprise, the unit providing irrigation water for 5,300 hectares of spring rice in 7 communes in the area, the canal system of Tho Son pumping station plays a particularly important role in ensuring irrigation water supply. If not addressed promptly, the water supply for spring rice crops, especially during the heading and flowering stages, will be severely affected.
Workers immerse themselves in the Tho Son – Cho Cau canal to remove water hyacinths. Photo: Van Truong
Therefore, the unit was forced to implement a series of solutions, from dredging mud and soil to removing water hyacinths, amounting to thousands of cubic meters, in order to clear the waterway and ensure the pumping station operates efficiently. “It is expected that all the remediation work will be completed within the next 5 days,” said Mr. Dang Xuan Duyet.
Not only at Nghi Loc Irrigation Enterprise, but also at Hung Nguyen Irrigation Enterprise, maximum manpower and machinery have been mobilized in recent days to address the siltation and water hyacinth problem on key canal routes. For example, the Hoang Can canal, nearly 10 km long, has been extensively dredged to serve irrigation for over 2,000 hectares of rice fields in the surrounding communes. The work is being carried out continuously to shorten the time and ensure the smooth flow of water.
Machinery and equipment were mobilized to the maximum extent to dredge the silt-laden Hoang Can canal in Hung Nguyen commune. Photo: Van Truong
Mr. Le Van Hung, Director of Hung Nguyen Irrigation Enterprise, also stated that the unit ensures irrigation water for 4,800 hectares of spring rice in 5 communes in the area. Currently, the water level of the Lam River is low, and the prolonged siltation has narrowed the waterway, directly affecting the efficiency of water supply for production. In response to this situation, the unit has implemented dredging of canals and cleaning of the suction basin of the Rum River pumping station, thereby ensuring a stable irrigation water source for approximately 300 hectares of rice in the area.
In reality, amidst unfavorable weather conditions and prolonged heatwaves, the rapid growth of water hyacinth, along with silt deposition, is creating significant pressure on the irrigation system. If not addressed promptly and effectively, the risk of water shortages for agricultural production, especially during the crucial spring planting season, is unavoidable.
Dredging canals ensures water supply for agricultural production.
According to Mr. Bui Van Hao, Chairman and Director of Nam Irrigation Company Limited, this spring the company is responsible for supplying water to nearly 20,000 hectares of rice fields. However, the current situation of canal sedimentation and rapid growth of water hyacinth is posing many challenges.
“Although we conduct regular dredging every year, water hyacinth grows very quickly. If we don’t deal with it regularly, the waterway will become blocked again after only a short time,” Mr. Hao said.
Pumping station 16, Vinh Irrigation Enterprise, uses mobile pumps to support drought relief efforts in the area. Photo: Van Truong
In response, the company has directed its affiliated enterprises to mobilize maximum resources and increase machinery to address blockages. It is expected that the dredging of the main canals will be largely completed within the next 4-5 days. In addition, the unit has deployed four mobile pumps to utilize the return water from dead-end rivers, contributing to water replenishment during the prolonged hot weather.
In the area managed by Phu Quy Irrigation Company Limited (Thai Hoa ward), efforts to ensure irrigation water supply are also being actively implemented. Workers operating the irrigation system are both maintaining water supply and carrying out dredging and clearing weeds from the canals to ensure smooth water flow.
Phu Quy Irrigation Company Limited is dredging to clear the waterway. Photo: Van Truong
Mr. Hoang Tran Lam, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Phu Quy Irrigation Company Limited, said that the unit currently manages 11 irrigation works, serving to irrigate more than 3,000 hectares of spring rice. Given the declining water levels in many small reservoirs such as Cay Ba reservoir (Dong Hieu commune) and Dong Diec reservoir (Nghia Loc commune), the unit has proactively implemented water-saving solutions and is also pumping additional water from Song Sao reservoir to ensure irrigation needs are met.
It is evident that, under unfavorable weather conditions and prolonged heatwaves, the proactive and coordinated implementation of solutions ranging from dredging and removing water hyacinths to the flexible operation of irrigation pumping systems is playing a crucial role in ensuring water resources for agricultural production in Nghe An.
