With over 4 million ha of land, the Mekong Delta is home to nearly 20 million people and the largest rice production hub of Vietnam, but it is also facing historic water scarcity.
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.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved the resumption of rice export provided that food security must be guaranteed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, drought and saltwater intrusion.
An aid package of 530 billion VND (over 22.7 million USD) has been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to help eight provinces in the Mekong Delta deal with drought, water scarcity and saltwater intrusion, which have been taking a heavy toll on the agricultural production hub of Vietnam.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has proposed exempting charges on businesses for granting rights to exploit water resources for half a year, estimated at 600 billion VND (over 25 million USD), or for a year.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has allocated 800 million VND (nearly 34,000 USD) to five provinces which have declared an emergency due to saltwater intrusion.
Vietnam’s GDP growth rate of 3.82 percent in the first quarter of 2020, a record low since 2011, is still a miracle amidst a global economic recession, an official has said.
Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang have adopted many new farming models to adapt to climate change, which has helped them cope with the severe saltwater intrusion.
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.
Saltwater intrusion on the Mekong River will abate gradually but still be at high levels. The phenomenon is forecast to remain strong on some distributaries until early May.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc discussed with leaders of the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang about measures to tackle saltwater intrusion in the region during a teleconference on March 25.
The People’s Committee of the southern province of Dong Nai has called on relevant agencies and the public to take proactive measures to ward off a freshwater shortage as drought and saltwater intrusion in rivers cause an increasing shortage.
The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) Central Committee on March 18 launched a campaign to support people seriously affected by droughts and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta – the “rice bowl” of Vietnam.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) signed an agreement on March 17 to support the Mekong Delta’s response to drought and saltwater intrusion.
The Mekong Delta region has been badly hit by saltwater intrusion. Experts have warned that the region will have to suffer prolonged drought and saline intrusion during the rest of this year’s dry season.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 8 made a field trip to the Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway in Phu Nhuan commune, Cai Lay district, the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang.
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.
Environment
