Mekong Delta irrigation planning needs to increase responsiveness to uncertain issues
The irrigation planning process not only solves urgent problems but also needs to create breakthrough infrastructure, as a foundation for long-term strategies to solve multiple goals in the future.
Challenges from irrigation infrastructure
Recently, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep chaired the Workshop on Irrigation Planning for the Mekong River Basin for the period 2022-2030, with a vision to 2050 (referred to as the Planning).
The workshop aims to collect opinions from localities, relevant agencies, experts, etc. so that the Planning is suitable to reality, meeting the socio-economic development requirements of the provinces in the Mekong River basin, as well as the requirements for restructuring the agricultural sector.
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| Workshop on Mekong River Basin Irrigation Planning for the period 2022-2030, vision to 2050. |
Currently, irrigation infrastructure in the Mekong Delta provinces still has many limitations. In particular, many flood control embankments and dykes do not meet flood prevention standards, and the risk of flooding still occurs frequently.
At the same time, the lack of drainage pumping stations has significantly affected agricultural production activities, especially in low-lying areas, affected by water, and difficult to drain in Long My, Vi Thuy - Hau Giang; Nga Nam, Thanh Tri, Chau Thanh - Soc Trang...
Mr. Do Duc Dung, Director of the Southern Institute of Water Resources Planning (the planning consultancy unit) informed that currently, the irrigation systems in the Mekong Delta region have not been fully invested in, the intra-field canal system has not been periodically dredged, the irrigation pumping stations have not been invested in... so the shortage of irrigation water in the dry season still occurs.
Meanwhile, urban areas such as Ca Mau, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Bac Lieu, Tan An... have not invested in flood control systems, and flooding is getting worse. Although the Long Xuyen Quadrangle has invested in key flood control works, it is still not closed (the canal gates connecting to the Hau River are still open), so it is not yet fully proactive in controlling floods in the fields.
Currently, the Mekong Delta region is shifting from agricultural production thinking to agricultural economy. Therefore, irrigation must both ensure proactive water resources for socio-economic development in all adverse situations; and be associated with living space, cultural space - tourism...
“Faced with the challenges and building a strategy until 2050, the vision for irrigation planning needs to be long-term, proposing steps and things to do to increase proactive response to uncertain issues in the region such as: Climate change, water use of upstream countries, changes, advances in science and technology and market fluctuations…”, Mr. Dung shared.
Build specific content
The Southern Institute of Water Resources Planning said that the new point of this Plan is the initial formation of large-scale, inter-regional water resource control systems (the Right Hau River region, the Left Tien River region, etc.). Large sluice works controlling river mouths are also calculated and evaluated for operational efficiency more carefully (Vam Co and Ham Luong sluices), as a basis for investment and construction proposals.
In addition, due to the actual needs of aquaculture requiring diluted freshwater, or shrimp-rice production areas needing support for supplying freshwater for rice crops, this planning has proposed 2 water transfer systems for the South Ca Mau area and the South of National Highway 1A Bac Lieu.
Regarding water supply for aquaculture, this planning proposes a model of supplying seawater from offshore by pumping stations and direct pipelines to farming areas, the canal system will only have the task of draining water (completely separate supply and drainage model).
Some areas with relatively favorable irrigation system conditions will pilot the completion of the construction system (culverts, canals), operate the system to separate drainage (Southern area of National Highway 1 Bac Lieu, coastal area of Vinh Chau Soc Trang, An Minh - An Bien area Kien Giang).
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It is necessary to plan multi-purpose, multi-value irrigation associated with cultural conservation, services, tourism, etc. |
The solution for the remaining areas is to invest in closed irrigation sub-plots to prevent flooding and operate drainage; the production model is saltwater aquaculture; increase dredging of canal axes to increase water exchange, limit the impact of overly salty water due to evaporation in the fields; the enclosure plots will proactively store rainwater in the canal system to support additional production.
Action needed to deal with severe weather
According to representatives of provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region, the implementation of the Mekong River Basin Irrigation Planning for the 2022-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, is necessary. However, it is necessary to speed up the progress of the Planning, because the process of climate change has a significant impact on the economy and society of each locality.
Mr. Pham Tan Dao, Head of the Soc Trang Province Irrigation Department, informed that many areas in the locality were flooded due to uneven lowlands and irregular salinity periods, making it difficult for the locality to control and making it difficult for people to develop agriculture. Therefore, Soc Trang hopes to plan the construction of sluices and freshwater reservoirs in the near future.
Agreeing with the opinion, Mr. Van Huu Hue, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vinh Long province shared: “With the current climate change situation, Vinh Long province is having the idea of exploiting the Mang Thit River with an area of over 61 hectares as a freshwater reservoir for agriculture, daily life, transportation, economic development... by building a boat lock at both ends of the river and implementing it after 2030.
In addition, with the increasing saline intrusion on the main rivers combined with high tides encroaching deep into canals and ditches in the fields, causing many difficulties in the lives and production of Ben Tre people, Mr. Nguyen Minh Canh, Vice Chairman of Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee, pointed out that the most current challenges and difficulties are the situation of seawater intrusion, the use of freshwater upstream in some countries, and increasingly serious saline intrusion.
“The period of 2015-2016 was considered a record salinity period, occurring only once every hundred years. However, after 4 years, this salinity situation occurred again with a more serious level. After the next 4 years, the salinity situation occurred again like in 2015-2016 and the future developments are difficult to predict,” Mr. Canh shared.
Lack of fresh water, increased use of groundwater leads to subsidence and landslides. Therefore, if there is no more fundamental solution, by 2050 or 2100, Ben Tre in particular and the provinces in the Southwest region will be affected even more.
Therefore, Mr. Canh believes that planning a number of large lakes will be difficult to implement because of difficulties in site clearance and water transportation. Therefore, if each locality has small lakes to serve production and daily life, it will be more proactive.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that currently, the development planning for the Mekong Delta region is complete. Therefore, the issues raised in the planning must resolve the basic conflicts and difficulties of each locality.
In particular, this planning must be linked, consistent and synchronous with previous planning approved by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (national planning, regional planning, specialized planning for irrigation, national disaster prevention; local planning).
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