An irrigation project to prevent saltwater intrusion in Soc Trang. (Photo: VNA)Soc Trang (VNA) - The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang has developed a plan to respond to drought, water shortage, and saline intrusion in the dry season in late-2020 and early-2021, a conference held by the provincial People’s Committee on October 5 heard.
Soc Trang is among the Mekong Delta provinces hit hardest in recent years by those natural phenomena during the dry season, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Van Hieu told the conference.
During the 2019-2020 dry season, drought damaged more than 4,000 ha of the spring-summer rice crop in the province and affected its fruit and vegetable yield, Hieu said, adding that more than 26,500 households suffered fresh water shortage.
The situation is expected to linger in the Mekong Delta this dry season, severely affecting agricultural production and people’s lives.
The province’s plan to fight drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion pays particular attention to campaigning and instructing people on accelerating the storage of freshwater and using it effectively and economically.
Soc Trang has asked local agencies to improve their forecasting capacity to provide people with timely warnings and formulate effective response plans.
It also recommended farmers who live in high-risk areas in terms of water scarcity to only cultivate two rice crops a year, while calling for projects on repairing and upgrading irrigation systems and dredging canals to be sped up./.
VNA
