Dan Kia Lake becomes dry as drought continues

Dan Kia Lake that supplies freshwater for Da Lat City and Lac Duong District in Lam Dong Province has dried out due to serious drought.

Dan Kia Lake that supplies freshwater for Da Lat City and Lac Duong District in Lam Dong Province has dried out due to serious drought.

  

Dan Kia Lake becomes dry as drought continues

The authorities in Lac Duong District said on March 19 there was almost no rain in Lac Duong Town and nearby communes in the past three months.

As a result, Dan Kia Lake has completely dried up. The bottom of the lake has hardened up and exposed with cracks. Dan Kia Lake is the water source to the households of Da Lat City and a part of Lac Duong District. It also provided water for agricultural activities and Ankroet Hydropower Plant.

The drought has not only affected the daily lives of many people in Da Lat and Lac Duong, but it also poses a threat to 150ha of cultivated lands.

The farmers then had to dig up wells and invested in a pumping system to find underground water for their crops. According to the farmers, the water level of Dan Kia Lake this year was two metres lower than the previous year while the area of agricultural land increased.

Lac Duong District People's Committee said the sedimentation had worsened because of the rise of agricultural lands around Dan Kia Lake.

In the future, they will build an 80-100ha reservoir upstream of Dan Kia Lake to provide domestic water for Da Lat and Lac Duong District.