As the baking weather is having a direct impact on nearly 23,000 hectares of paddy in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An, local farmers are taking all measures possible to keep their crops alive.

Serious drought brought about by the hot weather has been taking a heavy toll on the province over the past 10 days, as large areas of paddy fields have been deprived of water.

In Hung Yen Nam Commune, Hung Nguyen District, countless pumps have been working around the clock to channel water into each field.

The efforts, however, have not been effective as many lakes, reservoirs, and irrigation channels are drying up.

A paddy field is drying up due to prolonged drought in Nghe An Province.

“Water is as precious as gold now. We can never have enough water for our farms in this weather,” Tran Thi Trinh, a local resident said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Thu, 58, said about 70 percent of his paddy has withered.

An irrigation channel runs out of water.

Thu can barely save what left of his field after many days of pumping water.

“This year’s drought is more extreme than in previous years. I may lose all of my crops if this weather persists,” Thu stated.

A paddy field is withering due to severe lack of water.

About 200 out of 300 hectares of paddy in Hung Yen Nam Commune has been hard hit by the drought, said Nguyen Van Hieu, chairman of the commune’s administration.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, nearly 23,000 hectares of paddy fields across Nghe An are currently in serious need of water.

A dead snail in the middle of a dried-up field

A farmer digs deep to find water for his crops.

A local resident pumps water into his field.

A pump delivers water to a paddy field in Nghe An.

A local resident pumps water into his field.

A local resident pumps water into his field.

A paddy field is drying up due to prolonged drough.

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