Quang Ngai people vow to claim water back for Tra Khuc River The Tra Khuc River, which provides water to Quang Ngai province, has turned dry, due to the Dakdrink hydropower plant, which has “taken away” the water.   The depleted Tra Khuc River. The rice fields of thousands of farmers in Quang Ngai province are becoming exhausted, though the dry season has not yet arrived. The problem is that water in the Tra Khuc River has depleted, and hence, fields cannot be irrigated. People in the central region are all too familiar with scorching sun and heavy drought. However, they have never seen the river sink to such a low level in a non-dry season before. Nguyen Nhung, Director of the Quang Ngai provincial Irrigation Work Management Company, pointed to a river section in midstream. “This is the area from which water is distributed to irrigation works”, he said. “But as you can see, it is depleted”. “Now you can ford the river and not have to worry about your shoes getting wet,” he added. The deepest area of the Tra Khuc River’s section that crosses Quang Ngai province was measured at one meter in mid-March. The river is now broken up into small sections, separated by dry areas. “I have never seen the river so depleted in March before,” Nhung said. “It is the hydropower plants on the upper course which have driven the Tra Khuc River to death”. Quang Ngai people now largely say that they hate the Dakdrinh hydropower plant, a large plant in the region. Dakdrinh has a generating capacity of 125 MW and a water reservoir that can hold millions of cubic meters of water. Locals believe it is the main culprit in diverting all the water from Tra Khuc. Nhung went on to say that he continuously sends his staff to the Dakdrink hydropower plant to “claim the water back” to water the tens of thousands of crops withering in the thirst for water. However, he has failed to force the plant to discharge water to save the rice fields. “We have many times sent documents to the Dakdrinh Hydropower JSC, requesting to discharge water. But we have had no reply,” he said. “We came to see the managers of the power plant to ask for water, but we were refused,” Nhung said. “The harvesting of the winter-spring crop will begin in only one month. If the hydropower plant does not discharge water, we will see the crop fail.” Nguyen Mau Van, Deputy Director of the Quang Ngai provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, confirmed that the Dakdrinh hydropower plant has block the dream to store water, preparing for electricity generation in April 2014, which has led to the depletion. “We have requested that the hydropower plant discharge water to irrigate the rice fields, but the water has been provided in dribs and drabs,” he complained. However, Van, like Nhung and the thousands farmers of Quang Ngai will have to continue their struggle to claim the water back. If they don’t, they will have to see their crops fail. “We will have to invite the representatives of the hydropower plant to a meeting in some days to discuss the water discharging schedule,” Van said. NLD