The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has earmarked over 175.8 billion VND (7.54 million USD) to build clean water supply works in the coastal area in the dry season 2020.
Local people living in the buffer zone next to U Minh Thuong National Park in Kien Giang province have been suffering from severe drought in recent times.
Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has signed on decision announcing the rice export quota for April after the Prime Minister gave the green light to resume exporting the product.
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.
The Vietnamese Government has made efforts to ensure that social welfare for the public is maintained, especially for the poor and the unemployed, amid the challenges posed by COVID-19, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said.
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.
Water and climate have a close relationship and addressing problems in water resources was the key to better adaptation and limiting the negative effects of climate change, a senior official has said.
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 Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre is speeding up land clearance for the implementation of a water management project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Nguyen Xuan Cuong has ordered the farming sector to ensure stable supply for domestic consumption and prevent food price gouging.
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.
Environment
