Solving local water shortages
On April 7, in Tien Giang province, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh had an online meeting with the provinces of Tien Giang, Long An, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang and Ca Mau on drought and salinity prevention and control.
On the side of Tien Giang province, there were Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Mr. Pham Van Trong.
According to the People's Committee of Tien Giang, the province has declared an emergency situation regarding natural disasters such as saltwater intrusion and lack of domestic water in Tan Phu Dong district (Tien Giang province).
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and his delegation inspected the provision of free water for people's daily activities.
For the western region, domestic water supply for people is guaranteed. For the eastern region, Dong Tam water plant operates, production is stable, output capacity fluctuates 68,000-70,000 m3/day and night.
With the amount of water stored in the reservoir, combined with pumping from the Sau Au - Xoai Hot canal and operating 6 backup wells, the production activities of Dong Tam water plant are basically stable.
Currently, it is the peak of the hot season, the demand for water is high, the water resources in canals and ponds in the fields have been exhausted.
Most water stations are operating normally, some stations have reduced production capacity or stopped producing water due to lack of raw water. The Eastern districts and towns are short about 25,000 m3/day and night.
Tien Giang Water Supply Company is regulating water supply by day and by area to meet people's water needs and coordinating with the People's Committees of Eastern districts and towns to open public water taps in disadvantaged areas with water shortages for people to come and get free water for daily use.
Up to now, Tien Giang province has opened 101 public water taps, the total amount of water supplied so far is 6,344m3, the number of taps will continue to change in the coming time.
In addition, Tien Giang Water Supply Company Limited has equipped and transported 63 water tanks to provide free water to people in some areas lacking water at the end of the source, placed at 40 points in need of water and loaded onto water transport vehicles to the place of use to provide free water to people in areas lacking water at the end of the source.
The People's Committees of communes and towns in the eastern districts and towns have organized forces and vehicles to transport water to provide free water to single-parent households and the elderly who cannot afford to get water from public taps and water tanks.
In addition, many benefactors and philanthropists have transported fresh water by land and water vehicles (barges, tankers, water trucks of all kinds) to distribute free of charge at residential areas, commune centers, commune health stations and to the homes of poor and lonely households.
This has contributed significantly to solving the current shortage of domestic water in the eastern districts and towns of Tien Giang province.
Particularly for Tan Phu Dong district, the water demand in the district during the peak of hot weather is currently nearly 10,000m3/day, a shortage of 1,700m3/day.
Tien Giang Water Supply Company Limited has operated to regulate water supply, supplying water through public taps to downstream areas lacking water.
Currently, Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee is considering the time to transport fresh water to supplement 2 raw water ponds in Tan Phu Dong district.
Proactively living with drought and salinity
Tien Giang province has successfully protected and harvested 44,883 hectares of winter-spring rice 2023-2024; 21,720 hectares of various vegetables and food crops; provided enough irrigation water for 84,192 hectares of fruit trees. Up to this point, drought and salinity have not caused damage to agricultural production.
At the meeting, Tien Giang province proposed that the Central Government support the province in building Tra Tan and Ba Rai sluices to close the Bao Dinh expansion project area to protect about 130,000 hectares of agricultural land for the two provinces of Tien Giang and Long An; including 70,000 hectares of fruit gardens with high economic value of Tien Giang province.
At the same time, recommend the Central Government to support the province to upgrade and expand water reservoirs.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha gave a speech at the meeting.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that heat, drought, saltwater intrusion and subsidence are common issues in the Mekong Delta. We have truly adapted and lived with saltwater intrusion.
In the current context, climate change and extreme weather are becoming more and more severe and difficult. Tien Giang and other localities have implemented many synchronous solutions on irrigation infrastructure and non-structural projects, showing that the provinces have controlled the drought and salinity situation.
In particular, with the proactive provision of full and accurate information and production management of the region, compared to previous droughts and salinity periods, in the dry season of 2024, production and business activities of localities are mostly unaffected.
There is a shortage of domestic water, but it is localized in some localities. Basically, people are still provided with centralized water from the state or public-private form. Localities are very responsible in providing domestic water to people.
So far, the heat, drought and saltwater intrusion this year are not as severe as in 2019-2020, but are more severe than many years.
However, localities have had plans and projects, especially in directing and operating, promoting on-site, providing centralized water, providing information and people's participation and awareness in water reserves...
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the experience in responding to drought and salinity of localities needs to have a vision for the delta and be placed in the context of a more extreme situation due to a lack of fresh water from upstream.
Therefore, we must proactively live with drought and salinity and have fundamental, synchronous solutions throughout the region as well as locally.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha agreed to invest in irrigation infrastructure systems according to allocation based on the nature of water resources.
In the long term, localities must consider connecting water supply plants to bring clean water to people. At the same time, for sparsely populated areas and difficult locations, it is necessary to consider relocating residents, including landslide areas...
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