Focus on implementing solutions to store fresh water and prevent salinity in production

Sewer keeper staff monitor the fresh water supply (into 03 gates) at Bong Bot sluice, An Phu Tan commune, Cau Ke district.

According to Deputy Director of the Southern Institute of Water Resources, Nguyen Nghia Hung, due to the rapid decrease in water flow to the Mekong Delta, salinity has appeared early in river mouths and will peak between February and April 2025.

Water resource forecast (from February 7 to 13, 2025), at the beginning of the week, the salinity boundary is 04g/l at its lowest and is 30 - 35km from the sea on the branches of the Tien River; 43 - 45km on the Ham Luong River branch; 36 - 40km on the Tien River branch and 35 - 40km on the Hau River branch. At the end of the week, the salinity will increase again and encroach about 10km deeper than when the salinity was lowest, the salinity boundary is 45 - 53km from the sea. For the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta (provinces of Long An, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and Kien Giang); salinity has affected coastal areas, water reserves are decreasing rapidly, opportunities to take additional water are rare, it is necessary to take advantage of water storage as soon as conditions permit.

Currently in the province, in areas at risk of saltwater intrusion and drought, causing water shortages that greatly affect production (mainly rice) such as Cau Ngang, Tra Cu and part of Chau Thanh and Tieu Can districts... Currently, Tra Vinh basically has saline prevention sluice systems along the Hau River (Can Chong, Rach Rum, Bong Bot, Tan Dinh) and the main canals, level I and level II canals have been invested in dredging and clearing the flow, contributing greatly to the storage and supply of fresh water into the fields to serve the production of the winter-spring rice crop 2024 - 2025 as well as the beginning of the summer-autumn rice crop 2025. However, in some areas, the production areas on mounds, slopes, far from the main canals and adjacent to the sea, the supply of fresh water is still limited; there will be a shortage of water and it will be localized at each time.

By mid-February 2025, the whole province had planted 61,509 hectares of winter-spring rice crop 2024 - 2025, exceeding the plan by 0.02%. Currently, most of the rice is in the tillering stage 47,472 hectares; panicle - ripening 4,389 hectares and seedlings 9,648 hectares.

On December 6, 2024, Tra Vinh Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited issued Plan No. 14/KH-CTCTTI on "Prevention and control of drought and saltwater intrusion to serve production and people's lives in the dry season of 2024 - 2025"; localities have focused on operating key sluice gates and pumping stations to ensure that they meet production needs and are suitable for each water level in supplying fresh water and preventing saltwater intrusion. In particular, in Cau Ke district, with the Bong Bot, Tan Dinh, Rach Rum, and My Van sluice systems, saltwater intrusion prevention and fresh water supply have just been implemented for coastal districts.

Comrade Hua Thanh Son, Director of Cau Ke District Irrigation Enterprise, said: implementing Plan No. 14/KH-CTCTTI, in the district there are 06 sluices located along the Hau River; therefore, with the salinity situation being continuously updated, when the salinity outside the sluice is below 01‰, the sluices are opened continuously to take in fresh water.

Implement the Plan for prevention and control of drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion in the dry season of 2024 - 2025; Tra Vinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development directs localities to proactively implement solutions to prevent and control drought, water shortage, saltwater intrusion, protect agricultural production and ensure the supply of domestic water for people in the dry season of 2024 - 2025. Use water economically, proactively store water sources to supply for winter-spring rice production in 2024 - 2025 and summer-autumn rice in 2025; at the same time, serve the development of aquaculture and electricity; especially for shrimp-rice production areas. Prepare water supply plans and plans, ensure enough domestic water for people in rural areas, especially for people in difficult areas, areas without water supply pipelines, and inconvenient traffic conditions to get water.

According to comrade Diep Nhu Binh, Head of the Irrigation Sub-Department (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tra Vinh), the unit will coordinate with Tra Vinh Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation Company Limited to closely monitor the hydrometeorological situation and the development of drought and salinity; strengthen the survey and assessment of the salinity intrusion situation on the main canals, promptly notify the sectors, localities and people to proactively respond in daily life and production. Inspect and urge localities to salvage water hyacinth and dredge the intra-field canal system to clear the flow and store water.

Regarding the plan to dredge intra-field canals in the dry season of 2024 - 2025, localities have registered to dredge 492 works, over 420km long; installed 12 tanks. Localities with a large number of dredged canal works are Tieu Can with 116 canals; Chau Thanh with 95 canals and Tra Cu with 94 canals... dredging work will be deployed early in mid-February 2025, thereby contributing greatly to storing and supplying water to intra-fields to serve rice production.

Article and photos: HUU HUE

Source: https://www.baotravinh.vn/nong-nghiep/tap-trung-trien-khai-cac-giai-phap-tru-ngot-ngan-man-trong-san-xuat-43529.html