Anti-drought ponds available for dry Vietnam localities

UNDP reported that the construction of the ponds, in Dak Lak, Dak Nong in the Central Highlands, and Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces in south central Vietnam, was part of a project targeting an increase the resilience of small-scale agricultural production against water insecurity caused by climate change in the Central Highlands and southern parts of central Vietnam.

The project aims to build and renovate 260 climate change-resilient ponds, as well as help with the establishment of over 2,300 water-saving irrigation systems, while providing training for around 6,000 families in agricultural climate change adaptation.

The project has finished building 70 ponds in Dak Lak’s Krong Pac and Ea Kar districts, totaling a capacity of over 60,000 m3. The ponds correspond with an irrigation area of over 52 ha.

A UNDP statement said that the global body hoped the ponds would help meet the water demand for cultivation during the heights of the dry season. In Dak Lak, from December to March next year, water shortages are expected in several areas, with surface water resources predicted to meet only 40% of water demand.

Nguyen Hoai Duong, director of the Dak Lak Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the project was "highly practical," especially as water shortages in the province are on the rise, despite numerous efforts from authorities, including the construction and upgrade of irrigation projects.

By the end of March, over 1,300 ha of rice and other crops did not have enough water, and around 160,000 ha of coffee, durians, peppers, macadamias and other fruit trees lacked water in the periods that came after, according to statistics from the Dak Lak agricultural field.