The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has invested in a number of works to prevent coast erosion while improving livelihoods for local residents, using resources mobilised from all sources.
The Mekong Delta has experienced the most severe drought and saline intrusion ever in the dry season 2019-2020 but the negative impacts on agricultural production and daily life were minimised significantly thanks to effective measures, a top official has said.
Vietnam is forecast to suffer the highest temperatures ever recorded in 2020, according to the latest report by the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration.
Saline intrusion this year in Vinh Long province has arrived a month earlier than usual and is forecast to be much more severe than in previous years. Given the situation, many organisations and individuals have assisted locals with water tanks and purifiers.
The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) launched a programme on April 27 to help the Mekong Delta cope with drought and saline intrusion.
Authorities have instructed farmers in the Mekong Delta to sow the summer-autumn rice crop on established schedules to mitigate the damage of drought, saltwater intrusion and disease.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter has received about 81.6 billion VND (3.47 million USD) in donations to fund the fight against COVID-19 and help people affected by drought and saline intrusion.
Saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta will likely remain at a high level until the end of April or early May, before gradually declining, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.
Vietnam’s economic growth rate is expected to slow sharply to 4.8 percent this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, said a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report released on April 3.
Eleven minor earthquakes have occurred in Vietnam since the beginning of this year, according to the Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh have encouraged farmers to restructure their crop cultivation to mitigate the impact of drought and saltwater intrusion.
In spite of challenges caused by saline intrusion and COVID-19, rice cultivation in the Mekong Delta must ensure domestic supply and take opportunities for export, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh.
Though saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta comes earlier and with higher level of salinity than that recorded in the 2015-16 dry season, the damages to farming areas are expected to be less serious as authorities and farmers have taken measures to cope with the situation in the 2019-20 dry season. The whole region is getting a good winter-spring crop, with a good price.
The central city has begun construction of a steel dam – the second of its kind – on the lower Cam Le River to reduce salinity and deal with serious water shortages in the dry season this year.
The PetroVietnam Ca Mau Fertiliser Company (PVCFC) generated 34.73 billion VND (nearly 1.5 million USD) in profit in the first two months of this year, equivalent to 69 percent of its yearly plan, despite unfavourable business conditions.
The central region is at high risk of drought from March to May, the remaining months of this dry season, said Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting Vu Duc Long said on March 9.
The European Union (EU) has decided to provide 60,000 EUR (66,600 USD) in humanitarian aid for the Mekong Delta to help local residents cope with drought and saltwater intrusion.
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