The ongoing drought has seriously affected farms and households in theMekong Delta, causing water shortages for thousands of families in theprovinces of Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Ben Tre and Tien Giang.
About400,000 ha of land under agricultural production in the provinces havebeen affected by the prolonged drought and salt water infiltration,according to figures from the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon)newspaper.
The salinity in the early dry season at estuariesin the Mekong Delta was one to 10g per litre (0.1 to 1 percent) higherthan the same period last year.
In Ben Tre province, water with0.4 percent salinity has infiltrated 50 km deep inland, raising salinitylevels to 0.2 percent in canals in fields along estuaries and thecoast.
The acute drought has damaged thousands of hectares of rice fields and other crops in the province.
Ifthe saltwater enters Ba Lai River, which serves as a reservoir forfreshwater for thousands of families, it could seriously affectresidents of Ben Tre City and Chau Thanh district in the province.
As a precautionary measure, authorities in the province have closed 64 culverts and reinforced embankments along rivers.
They are also monitoring the salinity of water in the river and irrigated rice fields.
Saltwater has also entered the provinces of Soc Trang and Hau Giang, raising salinity levels in rivers.
Toprotect rice fields, the Division of Agriculture and Rural Developmentof Long Phu district in Soc Trang province has closed all culverts alongrivers and canals in the district.
The district authority hasurged farmers to speed up harvests to avoid further losses as thedrought will peak at the end of this month.
More than 5,000 ha ofthe 13,000 ha of the spring-summer rice crop in Long Phu District havealready been harvested. However, 30,000 ha of rice fields in Hau Giangprovince could be affected by the drought and saltwater intrusion.
NguyenVan Dong, director of Hau Giang's Agricultural and Rural Development,said farmers had sowed 40,000 ha of the 75,000 ha under thesummer-autumn crop.
Dong said authorities of commune and districtlevels have been urged to take measures to combat drought and saltwaterintrusion.
The director of Tra Vinh province's Department ofAgricultural and Rural Development, Tran Trung Hien, said the droughtand salinity intrusion could affect nearly 9,200ha of summer-autumn ricecrop, causing a 20-30 percent loss.
The provincial authoritiesof Vinh Long have asked authorities at the district level to identifythe areas damaged by the drought and salinity and map out plans torespond to the crisis.
They were also asked to focus on supply ofclean water for daily activities of residents in the districts of TraOn and Vung Liem.
Le Van Hai, the head of forest management in CaMau province, said recent rain showers at cajeput forests wereinsufficient to increase moisture in the soil. Instead, the rains makealum, which is needed in cajeput forests, to leak from the soil, furtherraising the risk of fire.
He said nearly 38,500 ha of forests in Ca Mau province had been affected by drought and were at risk of fire.-VNA
About400,000 ha of land under agricultural production in the provinces havebeen affected by the prolonged drought and salt water infiltration,according to figures from the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon)newspaper.
The salinity in the early dry season at estuariesin the Mekong Delta was one to 10g per litre (0.1 to 1 percent) higherthan the same period last year.
In Ben Tre province, water with0.4 percent salinity has infiltrated 50 km deep inland, raising salinitylevels to 0.2 percent in canals in fields along estuaries and thecoast.
The acute drought has damaged thousands of hectares of rice fields and other crops in the province.
Ifthe saltwater enters Ba Lai River, which serves as a reservoir forfreshwater for thousands of families, it could seriously affectresidents of Ben Tre City and Chau Thanh district in the province.
As a precautionary measure, authorities in the province have closed 64 culverts and reinforced embankments along rivers.
They are also monitoring the salinity of water in the river and irrigated rice fields.
Saltwater has also entered the provinces of Soc Trang and Hau Giang, raising salinity levels in rivers.
Toprotect rice fields, the Division of Agriculture and Rural Developmentof Long Phu district in Soc Trang province has closed all culverts alongrivers and canals in the district.
The district authority hasurged farmers to speed up harvests to avoid further losses as thedrought will peak at the end of this month.
More than 5,000 ha ofthe 13,000 ha of the spring-summer rice crop in Long Phu District havealready been harvested. However, 30,000 ha of rice fields in Hau Giangprovince could be affected by the drought and saltwater intrusion.
NguyenVan Dong, director of Hau Giang's Agricultural and Rural Development,said farmers had sowed 40,000 ha of the 75,000 ha under thesummer-autumn crop.
Dong said authorities of commune and districtlevels have been urged to take measures to combat drought and saltwaterintrusion.
The director of Tra Vinh province's Department ofAgricultural and Rural Development, Tran Trung Hien, said the droughtand salinity intrusion could affect nearly 9,200ha of summer-autumn ricecrop, causing a 20-30 percent loss.
The provincial authoritiesof Vinh Long have asked authorities at the district level to identifythe areas damaged by the drought and salinity and map out plans torespond to the crisis.
They were also asked to focus on supply ofclean water for daily activities of residents in the districts of TraOn and Vung Liem.
Le Van Hai, the head of forest management in CaMau province, said recent rain showers at cajeput forests wereinsufficient to increase moisture in the soil. Instead, the rains makealum, which is needed in cajeput forests, to leak from the soil, furtherraising the risk of fire.
He said nearly 38,500 ha of forests in Ca Mau province had been affected by drought and were at risk of fire.-VNA
