Vietnam recorded 224 persons dead and missing and economic losses of nearly 20 trillion VND (859.5 million USD) in natural disasters in 2018, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
Prolonged hot weather in the central region has caused low water levels in reservoirs and dams, seriously affecting agricultural production and the daily lives of local residents.
A forum in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18 once again urged effective solutions to riverside and coastal erosion, land subsidence and saltwater intrusion, which are getting worse in the Mekong Delta.
A meeting was held on May 22 at Nguyen Binh Khiem high school in Phuoc Nam commune, the south central province of Ninh Thuan, calling for efforts to mitigate disaster risks in schools and community.
The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh plans to use 7,400ha of low-yield rice fields for growing other crops or fruits or for aquaculture farming this year.
The coastal area of Go Cong Dong, a major agricultural hub in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, has taken effective measures against drought and saltwater intrusion into rivers this year.
Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta is expected to increase between April 28 and May 6 as the volume of water flowing southward from the Mekong River will decline, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Irrigation Department.
Various solutions for sustainable water management were raised at the Water Business Dialogues held by the Netherlands Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11.
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen agreed at their meeting in Hanoi on April 9 to tighten joint work to design and implement suitable policies and measures to cope with climate change.
The Mekong Delta and the south-eastern region plan to grow other crops on more than 126,300ha of low-yield rice fields this year as a means of adapting to climate change and improving farmers’ incomes.
The Netherlands is keen on cooperating with the Mekong Delta region and Vietnam in general in boosting commercial agriculture growth in a manner beneficial to both humans and the environment, stated Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Elsbeth Akkerman on September 9.
Farmers in Tien Giang province, the country’s largest fruit producer, have planted 1,000ha of new fruit plants so far this year, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is working on measures to cope with saltwater intrusion, according to the provincial Irrigation Sub-Department.
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre’s Con Bung area in Thanh Hai commune, Thanh Phu district has suffered from serious erosion that causes heavy land loss and seriously affects the living conditions and production of locals.
Society
