Two militia members take children to school in An Giang province’s An Phu district during last year’s flooding. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The Mekong Delta will not have early or intense flooding in its upper parts thisyear because of the low water level in the Mekong River, according to theNational Centre of Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting.
The river’s low level is due to the lack ofrainfall this year. However, the construction of dams in the MekongRiver’s upstream in other countries poses an increased risk of a rapid rise inwater levels in the delta when there are heavy rains and the dams release largequantities of water, the centre said.
The annual flooding in the delta, caused by therising levels in the Mekong River during the rainy season, could peak atwarning level 1 or 2 this year, lower than in many years, it said.
Besides, in June and July the water level in theupper areas of the delta was 10-20cm lower than in many years.
The low water levels in the Mekong and itstributaries this year will cause severe drought and saline intrusion in thedelta during the next dry season, according to experts.
The construction of flood control dykes in itsupper areas to grow the year’s third rice crop has reduced the delta’sfloodwater retention capacity.
The upper areas include the Dong Thap Muoi (Plainof Reeds) in Long An and Dong Thap provinces and the Long Xuyen Quadrangle inAn Giang and Kien Giang provinces.
When floods enter the delta, water cannot flow intoareas with dykes and most of it is drained by rivers. When the dry seasoncomes, the delta thus faces a freshwater shortage.
Le Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Can Tho University’s Research Institute for Climate Change, said the delta should notbuild any more closed flood control dykes so that it could retain the waterthat flows in during the flooding season.
Besides, it should reduce its rice growing area,especially for the third rice crop planted in the flooding season, he said.
Local authorities in the delta, which comprises 12provinces and Can Tho city, have earmarked many measures to deal with thisyear’s flooding and then drought and saltwater intrusion in the dry season.
They include reducing cultivation of the third ricecrop and instead releasing the floodwaters into rice fields to improve theirfertility and retain water.
In their flooded rice fields, farmers can raiseaquatic creatures or plants to ensure an income during the flooding season.
An Giang and Dong Thap provinces in the upper deltaplan to stop growing the third rice crop in many areas and instead open theflood control dykes and let the waters in.
Dong Thap’s Thap Muoi, Hong Ngu and Tan Hongdistricts have stopped building dykes to protect the third crop. They have introduced other farming models duringthe flood season such as raising shrimp and lotus plants in rice fields.
In An Giang province, authorities plan to allowfloodwaters into 26,500ha of rice fields in An Phu, Phu Tan, Chau Phu, ChauThanh, Tinh Bien, and Tri Ton districts and Tan Chau township.
Vo Thi Thanh Van, deputy director of the An GiangDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the department had toldthese districts and town to stop growing the third rice crop. Farmers should raise aquatic creatures and plantsin their rice fields to earn an income during the flooding season, she said.
“Districts and towns should step up inspection offlood control works for safety before allowing the floodwaters into ricefields,” she said.
Tran Anh Thu, Vice Chairman of the An GiangPeople’s Committee, said though the forecast is for low flood levels this year,local authorities should not neglect the task of flood control.
The province will review the number of householdsliving along rivers, canals and low-lying areas at risk of erosion and floodingand make plans to relocate them to safer areas, according to the An GiangDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Hau Giang, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, and Kien Giangprovinces have decided to switch to crops adapted to drought and saltwater inaffected areas during the upcoming dry season.
Soc Trang, for instance, has instructed farmers touse more than 1,800ha of sugarcane farms for raising aquatic creatures and growother short-term crops on low-yield rice fields.
Mai An Nhin, Vice Chairman of the Kien GiangPeople’s Committee, said rice fields with low yields in the dry season wereincreasingly used to breed shrimp then. The province’s biggest concerns now were coastaland river erosion and keeping out saltwater from rivers, he added.-VNS/VNA
