Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep on August 12 chaired a meeting on the progress of the World Bank-funded Mekong Delta Climate Resilience and Integrated Transformation Project (MERIT – WB11), which costs more than 17.75 trillion VND (approximately 741 million USD).
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh emphasised the need to take measures early to ensure water security which is threatened by climate change while addressing a question-and answer-session of the 15th National Assembly (NA)’s 7th sitting on June 4.
Diversifying communications methods to enhance public awareness of natural disaster prevention and control, and ensuring accurate and timely forecast are among solutions to minimise damage caused by natural disasters, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang said while chairing a national conference on natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue in 2024 held in Hanoi on May 10.
Israel is ready to advise Vietnam on irrigation technologies suitable for soil conditions in the Southeast Asian nation, the country's Ambassador Yaron Mayer said at a workshop held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Hanoi on May 10.
The Mekong Delta is the largest area for rice, fruit and fisheries production in Vietnam but has also been hit hard by climate change. Various solutions are being taken to cope with its impacts, including the worsening drought and saltwater intrusion.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 1 issued a directive ordering measures be taken to cope with the current heat waves, drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion which have hit several localities.
Saltwater intrusion up rivers is estimated to affect 29,260ha of rice sown in areas not zoned for the crop in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta as the region enters the peak dry season.
The rates of rural households in Mekong Delta provinces having access to clean water rose from 26-75% in 2018 to 53-94% in 2023, heard the Congress of the Mekong Delta Rural Supply Association for the 2023-2028 tenure in Can Tho city on July 29.
Climate change, a rising population and excessive exploitation of groundwater are putting pressure on the clean water supplies of Ho Chi Minh City, experts have warned.
Saltwater intrusion on the Mekong River is forecast to gradually abate from April 24-30, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Farmers adopting the shrimp-rice model in the Mekong Delta should seek to adapt to climate change by using advanced techniques and linking up with processing companies to develop value chains, experts have said.
Vietnam’s water demand is likely to reach about 122 billion cu.m each year from 2030, 1.5 times higher than the current amount, which means water shortage may become severe if the country fails to effectively manage the resources, said Deputy Director of the Department of Water Resources Management under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) Nguyen Minh Khuyen.
Saltwater intrusion is expected to increase in Mekong estuaries in late March while Vam Co and Cai Lon rivers in the South of Vietnam will see major saltwater intrusion until late April.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh demanded Ben Tre further tap into its advantages and develop the sea-based economy, while addressing a working session with officials of the Mekong Delta province on February 16.
The southern region should prioritise rice varieties with high quality and yields for export in the upcoming winter-spring rice, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh has said.
