LongAn (VNA)🎶 - The Mekong Delta province of Long An, which has been hit bysevere drought this year, needs more fresh water, but can onlysupply about 50 percent of demand from its 35 fresh water treatmentplants and stations. 

Nearly 736,000cu.mof water will be needed by 2030, according to the province’s planning on watersupply. Currently,its plants can only supply 206,000cu.m of fresh water. It lacks more than215,000cu.m of fresh water to serve industrial and urban development andpeople’s daily activities. In urbanareas, fresh water is supplied by small and medium-sized plants operatedby the Long An Water Supply Sewerage Joint Stock Company, Kien Tuong WaterSupply Sewerage and Environment Joint Stock Company, and others. In ruralareas, small water supply stations provide water to fewer than 300households. Nearly40 percent of the province's residents use fresh water, which islower than the average national rate. Authoritiesare concerned that the problem could become severe if they do not havesolutions. Theprovincial People’s Committee has instructed relevant agencies toadjust water supply to increase the usage rate among residents. Theprovince also wants to reduce underground water exploitation gradually,and attract investment to build a network of fresh water supplystations. Ithas asked ministries for funds to build five sluices to prevent saltwaterintrusion in the provinces of Long An and Tien Giang, near Vam Co TayRiver which supplies the Rach Chanh Water Plant. Theprovince plans to build a reservoir to store fresh water in Thanh Hoa districtto supply water to nearly 12,000 households and for agricultural andindustrial production. InCan Duoc district’s Phuoc Tuy commune, which faced water shortage inthe dry season, residents now have access to fresh water afterthe commune's People’s Committee allocated funds to upgrade watersupply pipelines and presented water containers to people who live farfrom water wells. People have also been encouraged to use watereconomically. Thecommittee has called on enterprises to invest in water wells. The commune hasnine wells that supply waterto more than 2,000 households. LongAn is one of several Mekong Delta provinces severely affected by droughtand saltwater intrusion every year. More than 8,000 households in theprovince lack fresh water. Ina similar situation, trees in mangrove forests in the Mekong Delta province ofSac Trang’s Vinh Chau town have died or are dying because of water shortage,according to the town’s Forest Protection Bureau. Treeshave died in a 1.5ha mangrove forest managed by the town’s People’sCommittee and in a 175ha mangrove forest managed by the bureau. Themangrove forests are mostly white mangrove and spotted mangrove morethan 10 years old. Theupgrading and construction of a sea dyke and a dam outside the mangrove foreststo prevent saltwater intrusion has contributed to watershortage, according to the bureau. Afterthe province built the dam at the Ho Be - Giong Chua Canal and rebuilt the Nam DoanSluice in 2017, sea water was blocked from the forests.  TheGiong Chua Canal, which provides water for the mangrove forests issilted, cannot transport sufficient water from the My Thanh River tosupply the forests. HoangVan Thang, Chairman of the town’s People’s Committee, said prolongeddrought and severe saltwater intrusion this year had contributed to watershortage.    Thetown is opening sluice No16 to take water to save the dying mangrovetrees, and will choose a suitable time to replace dead mangrovetrees and recover the forests. Thisis the first time that many trees in the mangrove forests in Vinh Chau Townhave died because of water shortage, according to the bureau./.