BinhThuan (VNA) – Efforts to fight desertification in the southcentral province of Binh Thuan have paid off as impoverished soil – a result ofwater scarcity – is gradually being replaced by greenery.

Directorof the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Mai Kieu saidthat due its geographic location, Binh Thuan has the driest climate in all of Vietnam,with an average annual rainfall of 1,000-1,600mm, only half the average rainfallin the southern region. As such, more than 80,000ha – or 11 percent – of localnatural area is desert land.

Desertificationis even more severe in coastal districts. Strong winds and sand storms during theOctober-April dry season have caused land degradation along 50km of its coast.

Hesaid desertified areas are often considered ‘dead land’ as no trees are able tosurvive without human intervention.

However,with efforts to revitalise such areas, Binh Thuan has taken various solutionsto expand farmland for local residents, Kieu noted.

Developingirrigation is the first step to realise this plan. More than 270 irrigationfacilities, including some with the capacity of over 40 million cubic metres havebeen built, like Song Quao, Ca Giay, and Long Song reservoirs. They are able toprovide water for 70,000ha of land.

Theseirrigation facilities have proved effective, speedily reviving dry areas in TuyPhong, Bac Binh, and Ham Thuan Bac districts. Locals have also been diggingponds to develop aquaculture, generating a major source of freshwater aquaticproducts.

Chairmanof the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Ngoc Hai said the successfulexpansion of irrigation systems has not only helped Binh Thuan supply water forfarmlands, but also minimised water shortages, boosted crop restructuring, andincreased farming areas.

Localauthorities have also been working to form coastal protection forestsstretching over 8,000ha from Tuy Phong to Ham Tan districts. These forestsmainly include phi lao (casuarina equisetifolia), neem trees (Azadirachtaindica), and wattles (acacia) – all of which have been growing well in coastalareas with shifting and semi-shifting sand.

Haisaid these forests have initially proved useful for reducing winds, improvingthe local environment, and ensuring the stable growth of other crops.

Manyanti-desertification projects have also been carried out successfully on atrial basis, including those targeting rainwater on sand collection, anti-shiftingsand afforestation, irrigation system development, sustainable agriculturalproduction programmes, and the transfer of better cultivation measures.

Theinitial successes of these projects have helped improve Binh Thuan’s capabilityin controlling natural degradation and turning thousands of hectares of ‘deadland’ into fertile area for production and tourism, according to localauthorities. –VNA