The northern rice-growing province of Bac Ninh is set to receive 372 billion VND (roughly 200,000 USD) loan from France to inprove the province’s irrigation capacity.

The funding, to be provided by the French Development Agency (AFD), will be usde to upgrade and build three pumping stations in Luong Tai district and upgrade the irrigation channels in Gia Binh district.

This is part of the Strengthening Water Management and Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation project that has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

A group of AFD experts and MARD officials on March 4 made the final field trip to the project sites before implementation work is kicked off from July this year. All the construction work is slated to complete by mid-2015.

Upon completion, the Phu My pumping station will provide water to 5,600 ha of cultivated land in Gia Thuan region and pump alluvial soil to fertilize the area.

The Nhat Trai and Kenh Vang II pumping stations, after going into operation, will work with a currently-used station, to discharge flood water for over 14,800 ha in Gia Thuan region.

Bac Ninh still meets with difficulties in water management and construction of dyke systems and pumping stations, said Provincial People’s Committee Chairman Tran Van Tuy.

Over the recent past, the province has received funding from the AFD and the Asian Development Bank for its projects, which are now operating effectively, he added while calling for continued assistance from international institutions.

The AFD has twice invested in two projects in Bac Ninh, which was completed in 2008. The first project was the Duong River stone embankment and a 30-km belt road along the dyke linking Thuan Thanh and Gia Binh districts. The second one was the Duong River flood prevention project./.