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