The rice crop in Kien Thanh hamlet, Kien Binh commune of Kien Giang province's Kien Luong district, is ruined by saltwater intrusion (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) began sending emergency relief on March 18 to residents in 11 central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta provinces suffering from acute drought and saltwater intrusion.
The beneficiaries are 11,000 families in Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan in the central region; Gia Lai in the Central Highlands; and Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang and Long An in the Mekong Delta.
VRCS Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu said each family will be given two 20-litre cans of drinking water, two 20-litre water containers and a box of Aquatabs water purification tablets.
The aid is part of a campaign calling for assistance to help address the consequences of drought and saltwater intrusion. The drive was launched in early March by the VRCS and the Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
The VRCS plans to work with the Vietnam office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to release a message asking for the international community’s support to help solve the problem, Thu added.
Forty-three of the 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam have been seriously affected by drought. Twelve have declared a state of emergency due to drought and saltwater intrusion.
Cash and other forms of assistance can be given to local VRCS chapters, or the VRCS Central Committee at No. 82 Nguyen Du Street in Hanoi or No. 201 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in Ho Chi Minh City .
Money can also be sent to the bank account of the VRCS Central Committee, 1201 00000 36656, at the Hanoi-based Hoang Mai branch of the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.-VNA
