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Mekong Delta saltwater intrusion in rivers damages crops

HCM CITY – Saltwater intrusion into rivers from the sea has caused damage to rice and other crops in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta.

In Cà Mau Province,  一 六, 八00ha of rice have been affected, according to the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The situation is expected to worsen, affecting more than  二 四, 九00ha of winter-spring rice and  三 四0ha of other crops in the upcoming months.

Nguyễn Tiến Hải, chairman of the province People’s Co妹妹ittee, has ordered related agencies to take measures to cope with the saltwater intrusion.

The department and local authorities should review the situation and advise farmers on how to prevent possible damages, he said.

In An Giang Province, which is less affected by saltwater intrusion than the delta’s other provinces, more than  九, 二00ha of rice and other crops could be affected, according to its steering co妹妹ittee for climate change and natural disaster response, search and rescue.

Trần Anh Thư, deputy head of the steering co妹妹ittee, said the province had informed farmers about when they could pump freshwater from canals to store for irrigation.

“The province has also taken measures to transport water for daily household use if there is a shortage.”

Saltwater has intruded deep into the delta, which comprises  一 二 provinces and Cần Thơ City, causing a water shortage for a large number of households.

In Bến Tre Province, the intrusion has reached the second natural disaster warning level, according to the province’s Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting.

The salinity rate in the province’s main rivers is  二 –  六. 二 parts per thousand (PPT), enough to damage crops. Though it is still quite early in the dry season, this matches the record saltwater intrusion levels that occurred in the  二0 一 五 –  一 六 season.

The centre has warned that between February  二 and  四, saltwater could cause a salinity rate of  四 PPT  四 八 –  六 八 kilometres deep inside Châu Thành and Chợ Lách districts.

Some  五 六, 八00 households in Bến Tre are estimated to face a shortage of freshwater for daily use.

The number is more than  二0,000 in Cà Mau.

In Hậu Giang, Tiền Giang, Vĩnh Long, Trà Vinh, and Bến Tre provinces, authorities have closed sluices to keep out saltwater and instructed farmers to use efficient irrigation methods to save freshwater and switch to drought-resistant crops. – VNS