Mekong Delta takes measures against saltwater intrusion
The Department of Water Resources Management under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has warned localities in the Mekong Delta to prepare plans to cope with saltwater intrusion.
Farmers in Mekong Delta are facing a shortage of clean water due to the low water level of the Mekong River. (Photo: VNA)
HoChi Minh City (VNS/VNA) 🔯— The Department of Water Resources Managementunder the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has warned localitiesin the Mekong Delta to prepare plans to cope with saltwater intrusion.
The Mekong River hasfallen to "abnormal" levels, threatening the livelihoods of 60million people living along its lower course. The drop was partlycaused by restriction on water flows from the upper reach of the river fromJanuary 5 to 24, which dropped to 800cu.m per sec. The normallevel is 1,400cu.m per sec. According to theSouthern Institute of Irrigation Science, the drop in water level inthe upper Mekong River for 20 consecutive days in January lowered waterlevels and allowed saltwater intrusion in Delta provinces. According to thedepartment, saltwater intrusion will continue to affect the area until theend of March. Local authorities inthe Delta have begun taking measures to cope with the effects ofsaltwater intrusion. The delta’s 12 provincesand Can Tho City are ensuring water supply for households in the next dryseason. They have been upgrading water supply works and building new ones, andhave instructed households to store clean water. Ben Tre province hasencouraged households in saltwater-prone and drought-prone areas to store freshwater and rainwater. Many households in theseareas are using water pots, cement containers and other receptacles to storefresh water for household use. In An Giang province,irrigation canals have been dredged and sluices upgraded to store fresh water. The provinces in coastalareas have upgraded irrigation systems to protect crops and aquaculture. Farmers have beenencouraged to use advanced farming techniques to cope with the shortage offresh water. To store fresh water,the Tra Vinh province People’s Committee has decided to dredge 10 irrigationcanals at a total cost of 69 billion VND (3 million USD). Sea dykes,embankments and other infrastructure will also be inspected and repaired. In recent years, thedelta, the country’s largest rice, fruit and seafood producer, has faced severesaltwater intrusion from the sea./.
The outcomes of the national science-technology programme on responding to climate change and managing natural resources and the environment in 2016-2020 can be applied in multiple fields in society, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has said.
Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta in the 2020-2021 dry season will be less severe than in the 2019-2020 dry season, with the highest level expected to be in February and March in Mekong River estuary and in March and April in Vam Co and Cai Lon rivers.
A severe period of saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta due to lower water levels upstream is expected to fall from February 8 to 16 as Vietnam celebrates the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
The most severe saline intrusion - the movement of ocean saltwater into riverine freshwater - is said to occur in the Mekong Delta region from February 8 to 16, coinciding with the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, since Chinese hydro-power plants have reduced their water discharge, which affects water flows downstream on the Mekong River, experts have said.
Improving the capacity of hydro-meteorological monitoring and forecasting as well as strengthening international cooperation are identified as two major tasks of the national hydro-meteorological sector in the future.
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Farmers in Mekong Delta are facing a shortage of clean water due to the low water level of the Mekong River. (Photo: VNA) 
