To help farmers manage climate-related risks such as flooding, drought and saline intrusion, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched the Climate-Smart Maps and Adaption Plans (CS-MAP).
The Mekong Delta region faces the risk of water shortages, drought and saline intrusion due to low water sources from the upper Mekong River and human exploitation of land and forests in the upstream, experts have warned.
The saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta region during this year’s dry season would occur earlier and be worse than previous years, warned the Department of Water Resources Management under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered concerned ministries and Mekong Delta provinces to proactively respond to saline intrusion and water shortage in the coming months in an official dispatch.
The 2020-2021 winter - spring crop in the Mekong Delta region suffered less from drought and saline intrusion, heard a working session between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the agriculture sectors in 13 regional localities on February 18.
The agricultural sector in the Mekong Delta province of Long An has been actively adopting a wide range of solutions to store water resources for production and daily life as part of efforts to prevent the effects of saltwater intrusion.
Many regions across the country, especially the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta, face risks of water shortage, drought and saline intrusion next month, according to hydro-meteorology experts.
The most severe saline intrusion - the movement of ocean saltwater into riverine freshwater - is said to occur in the Mekong Delta region from February 8 to 16, coinciding with the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, since Chinese hydro-power plants have reduced their water discharge, which affects water flows downstream on the Mekong River, experts have said.
Ho Chi Minh City will pump water from locations further upstream the Sai Gon and Dong Nai Rivers to supply its residents since the rivers, the current main source of water for the city, are affected by industrial pollution and saline intrusion.
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on January 16 inaugurated the first phase of a sea dyke project to prevent saline intrusion running through the districts of Binh Dai, Ba Tri and Thanh Phu.
A severe period of saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta due to lower water levels upstream is expected to fall from February 8 to 16 as Vietnam celebrates the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
Despite the serious impact of COVID-19, drought, and saline intrusion, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang exerted every effort to overcome the difficulties and post economic growth of over 3 percent in 2020.
Local authorities in the Mekong Delta have begun taking measures to cope with the effects of saltwater intrusion and drought in the upcoming 2020-2021 dry season.
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.
Close to 55,000 ha of crops in the central region are lacking in water, according to the Directorate of Water Resources at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, which is one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change in the region, should map out a plan for building an irrigation network and enacting measures against saltwater intrusion with a vision for the next 50 years, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Phung Quoc Hien said at a working session with local authorities on July 8.
Drip irrigation, an effective Israeli technique that significantly reduces water use, could be applied in Vietnam and address drought and saline intrusion, an Israeli agriculture expert said on a webinar on June 25.
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.
Environment
