Responding to drought and saltwater intrusion

According to the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta (including Long An province) during the 2024-2025 dry season will be higher than the multi-year average but not as severe as the 2015-2016 and 2019-2020 dry seasons. Saltwater intrusion at the estuaries of the Mekong River is trending downwards, except for the Vam Co River where it increased significantly from April 27th to May 1st, and will gradually decrease from mid-May onwards.

Currently, the 4g/l salinity boundary on the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers has penetrated deep into the inland areas, reaching 45-55km from the Soai Rap river mouth. In the coming period, the salinity intrusion situation in the province will remain volatile, depending on water sources from upstream and tidal surges.

The Provincial Center for Irrigation and Clean Water is pumping additional water into the Rach Chanh - Tri Yen canal system to serve agricultural production and daily life during the dry season for the districts of Ben Luc, Can Duoc, and Can Giuoc.

The entire Thu Thua district currently has 16,772 hectares of rice for the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop , 1,139 hectares of lemons, 674 hectares of yellow apricot blossoms, and many areas of various vegetables. To proactively implement solutions to prevent and combat drought and saltwater intrusion, right from the beginning of the 2024-2025 dry season, the district directed the Department of Agriculture and Environment and local authorities to regularly inspect irrigation works, focusing on immediately addressing and rectifying any damage to the structures and leaking sluice gates to ensure saltwater intrusion prevention and freshwater storage for production.

Currently, salinity levels in rivers, canals, and ditches are low, so crops are not affected. The People's Committee of Thu Thua district advises people to use irrigation water economically and efficiently, avoiding taking water from saline-affected areas to irrigate their fields, thus preventing pollution of inland irrigation water sources. Mr. Le Van Tien (Tan Thanh commune, Thu Thua district) said that his family grows 2 hectares of seedless lemons. In previous years, drought and saltwater intrusion significantly affected production. Learning from past experiences, this year he proactively stored water and coordinated with the local authorities to maintain and repair sluice gates, so the irrigation water supply has been ensured until now. "Since the beginning of the dry season, the irrigation water in the inland canals has basically ensured production. In addition, there have been a few heavy rains recently, so the crops are developing well and are not affected by drought and saltwater intrusion like in previous years," Mr. Tien shared.

In Ben Luc district, salinity levels in the inland rivers, canals, and ditches remain low at this time. Therefore, agricultural production is basically ensured, with no recorded impact from drought or saltwater intrusion. According to the Ben Luc District People's Committee, since the beginning of the dry season, the district has coordinated with the Provincial Center for Irrigation and Clean Water to monitor water quality and provide supplemental water to the Rach Chanh - Tri Yen canal system to serve agricultural production and daily life during the dry season in the districts of Ben Luc, Can Duoc, and Can Giuoc (the pumping station has a capacity of over 10,000 ^m³ /hour, serving approximately 4,900 hectares of agricultural land).

According to Trinh Hung Cuong, Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Environment and Forestry: To proactively respond to drought, saltwater intrusion, and water shortages during the dry season, the Department recommends that the Provincial Center for Irrigation and Clean Water coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Agricultural Extension and Service Centers of the southern districts and Tan An City to closely monitor salinity levels and plan the operation of main sluice gates appropriately to regulate water storage in inland canals and ditches when the water source is not yet affected by salinity. They should also inspect and plan to thoroughly address any leaking sluice gates by covering them with tarpaulins and replacing damaged sluice gate seals to prevent saltwater intrusion into inland areas, thereby ensuring water supply for agricultural production and domestic use for the people. “People also need to proactively take measures to prevent and control salinity levels before irrigating crops. At the same time, they should continue to monitor and update the drought and salinity intrusion situation daily, proactively store freshwater, maintain water hygiene, and use water sparingly; properly care for and protect crops, contributing to ensuring productivity and profits,” Mr. Trinh Hung Cuong advised.

Bui Tung

Source: https://baolongan.vn/ung-pho-voi-han-xam-nhap-man-a192888.html