Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta tends to decrease gradually.

Reduced saltwater intrusion

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in the Southwest region on the afternoon and night of May 21, there will be rain, moderate rain and thunderstorms, locally heavy to very heavy rain; from May 22 to 24, there will be scattered showers and thunderstorms, locally heavy rain (rain concentrated in the afternoon and evening); after that, the rain will decrease and may only appear in a few places.

It is forecasted that from May 28 onwards, rain in the southwestern provinces will gradually increase. Thunderstorms may include lightning, hail and strong gusts of wind.

During the period from May 21 to 31, the water level on the Tien and Hau rivers changed slowly according to the tide. The highest water level of the week in Tan Chau was 1.45m, in Chau Doc 1.65m, at a level 0.25-0.30m higher than the average of many years in the same period.

Tidal water level at Vung Tau station from May 21 to May 31 fluctuated at an average level, peak tide during this period fluctuated between 3.6-3.8m, peak tide time mainly occurred between 3am and 5am and 11am and 2pm every day.

Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta as of May 20.

According to Mr. Phung Tien Dung, Head of Hydrological Forecasting Department, National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, salinity intrusion in the above area tends to increase slightly in the first days, then gradually decrease. The highest salinity at the stations is generally lower than the highest salinity in May 2023.

Forecast of the depth of the 4‰ salinity boundary during this period. Accordingly, the salinity intrusion range on the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers is 90-120km; Cua Tieu and Cua Dai rivers is 40-44km; Ham Luong river is 45-48km, Co Chien river is 30-33km salinity; Hau river is 30-32km; Cai Lon river is 35-42km.

From now until the end of May 2024, saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta tends to decrease gradually. Localities in the Mekong Delta need to promptly update hydrometeorological forecast information and take proactive measures to prevent and combat saline intrusion. The risk of natural disasters due to saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta is level 2.

Salinity intrusion deep into rivers and canals will affect the lives and production of people in the area.

Countermeasures

Faced with the above situation, localities need to take advantage of storing fresh water during low tides to serve agriculture and people's lives, and at the same time need to limit irrigation to minimize production damage.

People should plant seasonal crops that can withstand high salinity levels, change the breeding structure appropriately, and have careful care measures to limit damage caused by drought and salinity intrusion.

Building a saline prevention sluice system in the Mekong Delta.

For areas growing fruit trees with high economic value and poor salinity tolerance, people need to check the salinity concentration before watering.

In addition to storage and saving, people need to install saltwater filtration systems to ensure the best amount of water used for daily life and irrigation. Saltwater filtration systems are considered a measure to directly use the current saltwater source.

Through the filtration system, the dissolved salt components in the water are treated, providing water with reasonable sweetness.

In particular, filtered water can be used for direct drinking or irrigation of plants with low salinity tolerance.

For aquaculture households, it is necessary to monitor the salinity of the farming environment; from there, determine the start and end time of farming in accordance with the current status of salinity intrusion.

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/xam-nhap-man-o-dong-bang-song-cuu-long-co-xu-huong-giam-dan-a664585.html