Ca Mau is suffering severe drought (Source: VNA) Ca Mau (VNA) – The People’s Committee of the southernmost coastal province of Ca Mau has declared a drought emergency in the locality with level-one risk after more than 49,000 ha of rice were damaged by water shortages.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is assigned to work with relevant bodies to implement measures on mitigating the consequences and assisting drought-hit areas to overcome the consequences.
According to DARD Deputy Director Nguyen Van Tranh, since November last year, the locality has actively taken efforts to address the impact of El Nino phenomenon in a bid to minimise damages.
The dredging of local canal and dyke systems has been accelerated to store water for agricultural production, Tranh said.
Assistance has also been provided for the affected households so that they can resume their farm production.
Ca Mau has suffered from huge damages in prawn production and rice farming due to severe drought.
At the same time, the province, surrounded by sea on three sides, is also being threatened by saltwater intrusion.
A report released by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment revealed that saltwater has intruded on close to 10,000 hectares of agricultural land in the province.-VNA
