Prolonged drought across several provinces and poor irrigation water quality are seriously affecting both the quality and yield of coffee in Dak Lak.
Currently, groundwater in residential areas—such as Buon Ma Thuot City, Buon Ho Town, and key industrial-crop districts like Cu M’gar, Cu Kuin, Krong Pak, and Krong Buk—is contaminated with agricultural chemicals.
Water sources near the Tan An Industrial Cluster in Buon Ma Thuot are also polluted by industrial waste.
A recent inspection team has recommended stricter management and more sustainable use of groundwater to maintain the water balance. Among their proposals is a ban on drilling new wells for coffee irrigation. They also suggested building large rainwater reservoirs and drilling deep recharge wells to replenish the depleted aquifer.
Dak Lak is Vietnam’s coffee capital, and Krong Buk District is one of its main growing areas.
Since mid-February, an extended heatwave has already cut both the quality and quantity of the local coffee crop. Now, with irrigation water from many wells no longer meeting safety standards, the province’s coffee plants face an even greater risk of declining quality.