 |
| Dang Van Hoa, Director of the Hue City Sub-department of Irrigation and Climate Change |
In the wake of the recent series of historic floods, how do you assess the extent of damage to the irrigation infrastructure in Hue City? What weaknesses have been most clearly exposed through these natural disasters?
The recent exceptionally severe floods have clearly revealed the vulnerability of irrigation infrastructure across the city. Damage in the irrigation sector alone is estimated at about VND 1.748 trillion, highlighting the mounting pressure that natural disasters and climate change are placing on infrastructure constructed over different periods.
Inner-field embankments, lagoon-side and river dykes, as well as inland irrigation works, have deteriorated over time, while floods have become increasingly intense, frequent, rapid and unpredictable. More than 15 km of riverbanks have been eroded, and nearly 7 km of coastline has suffered severe erosion, with some sections cutting deep inland, directly threatening homes, agricultural land and other essential infrastructure.
In addition, many diversion dams, pumping stations, canals and irrigation culverts have suffered from siltation and damage, including intake structures, management roads, sections of canals, downstream spillway aprons and other auxiliary works. Without timely repairs, water supply for agricultural production will be affected and the service life of these facilities reduced.
Against the backdrop of increasingly extreme climate change, how is Hue adjusting investment in and repairs to its irrigation system to both withstand natural disasters and support sustainable production?
Our approach to investing in and upgrading the irrigation system must be reoriented to suit each irrigation and drainage area, toward proactive climate adaptation.
In the immediate term, priority is being given to repairing damaged and deteriorated irrigation facilities serving the 2025–2026 winter–spring crop. Accordingly, on December 8, the City People’s Council passed Resolution No. 100/NQ-HĐND on allocating funds to address flood-related damage in 2025, enabling localities and units to carry out implementation. In parallel, the city is also developing medium- and long-term public investment plans in line with planning schemes approved by competent authorities.
Beyond structural solutions, Hue places particular emphasis on operational management. The irrigation system is operated flexibly in line with weather developments and water availability, with water levels in canals, ponds, reservoirs and low-lying areas proactively lowered when necessary to increase storage capacity, while irrigation works are operated at maximum capacity during heavy rainfall to ensure timely drainage and minimize damage.
More importantly, the current approach calls for a balanced integration of “hard” and “soft” solutions, linking irrigation investment with agricultural production planning, ecological conditions and the specific characteristics of each area. As a result, the irrigation system not only serves as a tool for disaster prevention and control but also becomes a foundation for sustainable production and long-term adaptation to climate change.
 |
| A resident repairs irrigation infrastructure silted up after the flood |
What specific solutions is the Hue City Sub-department of Irrigation and Climate Change implementing to proactively adapt to climate change and realize this direction?
Recently, the Sub-department recommended the Department of Agriculture and Environment to issue Official Dispatch No. 7567/SNNMT-TL dated December 8, 2025, directing localities and units to carry out zoning, clearance and dredging, and to identify planned cultivation areas at risk of inundation in order to organize production in line with water availability, thereby limiting losses caused by floods and waterlogging. Concurrently, detailed flood-and waterlogging-prevention plans and scenarios have been proactively developed for each area and watershed, ensuring the readiness of personnel, materials and equipment for drainage operations from the early onset of natural disasters.
We closely monitor weather and hydrometeorological forecasts to recommend the Department of Agriculture and Environment to issue warning bulletins to local authorities, units and residents, enabling proactive coordination with relevant agencies in the flexible operation of irrigation infrastructure. As a result, waterlogging pressure on agricultural production areas and residential zones is reduced, helping to limit damage from the outset.
In terms of medium-term public investment, the Sub-department consistently coordinates with relevant agencies to recommend the Department of Agriculture and Environment and related sectors in reporting to the city People’s Committee on the implementation of several projects, including urgent riverbank erosion control, reinforcement of inner-field embankment systems, and the upgrading and repair of deteriorated reservoirs, dams and pumping stations.
In your view, what needs to be done so that Hue’s irrigation system is no longer a “bottleneck” each rainy and flood season, but instead becomes a key pillar for production and social security?
What I hope for most is that the city can establish a stable, long-term and sustainable investment mechanism for technical infrastructure as a whole, including irrigation works, in line with Hue’s specific conditions as a locality that is frequently and heavily impacted by floods and climate change.
Alongside policy mechanisms, investment resources are also critical. Beyond the state budget, additional legitimate funding sources need to be mobilized, with related programs and projects on climate change adaptation, sustainable agricultural development and poverty reduction integrated to ensure coordinated, focused investment in irrigation infrastructure, linked to agricultural and rural development and social welfare.
Also, coordination among sectors and administrative levels—particularly the role of grassroots authorities and local communities—is of critical importance. Irrigation infrastructure is not the responsibility of the agricultural sector alone, but requires coordinated engagement across sectors. When irrigation works are systematically invested in, efficiently operated, regularly maintained, and closely linked to production planning for each area and ecological sub-zone, the irrigation system can fully realize its value.
Thank you!