Environment

Seawater encroaches on farm land in Soc Trang

Sea water has been progressively intruding into rice fields in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang, severely impacting hundreds of hectares of rice and vegetable crops.
Sea water has been progressively intruding into rice fields in theMekong Delta province of Soc Trang, severely impacting hundreds ofhectares of rice and vegetable crops.

Latestsalinity statistics show that saltwater has penetrated up to 10kilometres into Nga Nam town with salinity concentrations as high as9.4 parts per thousand (ppt) in the town’s centre (2 ppt is the limitof acceptable concentrations).

Seawaterencroachment has reportedly affected several communes in My Tu district,posing a threat to agricultural production there, especially theautumn-winter rice crops.

The phenomenon isunusual, as the rainy season began two months ago. It is attributed towater irrigation schedule in neighbouring Bac Lieu province and sealevel rises.

Nga Nam authorities update localson salinity daily to inform measures to reduce losses during production.They have also asked upper-level authorities to work with Bac Lieu toschedule appropriate water irrigation in order to minimize the impact ofBac Lieu’s saline-water shrimp farming on Soc Trang’s rice crops.

Many other coastal localities in the Mekong Delta region are alsoexperiencing severe salt water intrusion, including Tien Giang, KienGiang, Tra Vinh and Ca Mau. The phenomenon is causing fresh watershortages in numerous areas and threatening agricultural production.-VNA
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