Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta in the 2023 dry season

That is the forecast of the Southern Hydrometeorological Station about saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta at the Conference "Assessment of the situation of rain and floods in the second half of 2023 - El Nino water resources, drought and salinity in the dry season of 2023 - 2024 in the Southern region".

The conference took place in Ben Tre on the afternoon of September 22, organized by the General Department of Hydrometeorology in coordination with the People's Committee of Ben Tre province, with representatives of 19 Disaster Prevention Committees of 19 southern provinces and cities attending.

Because it is located at the end of the source, Ben Tre province is always most heavily affected when saltwater intrusion occurs in the Mekong Delta region.

At the conference, the Southern Hydrometeorological Station forecasted that from now until early October 2023, there is a possibility of a small flood in the lower Mekong River. From late October 2023 to March 2024, the water level of the Mekong River will gradually decrease. The total flow in the dry season of 2023 - 2024 from the upper Mekong River to the lower Mekong River and the Mekong Delta will be 20 - 25% lower than the average of many years. Meanwhile, the saline intrusion situation in the Mekong Delta depends on the water source from the upper Mekong River.

Therefore, this year's dry season, saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta will continue to be deeper and more severe. At some points, some river branches will be affected by saline intrusion equivalent to the historic drought and salinity during the 2015-2016 dry season.

The conference was attended by representatives from 19 provinces and cities in the southern region.

Specifically, in the area along the Vam Co River (Long An), the highest salinity will occur in April 2024, with a salinity of 4 g/l penetrating 120 km from the river mouth. In the Tien River estuary, in March 2024, a salinity of 4 g/l will penetrate 75 km into the inland fields. In the Hau River estuary, the salinity boundary of 3 - 5 g/l will penetrate about 60 km from the river mouth in March 2024.

In the Southeast region, the El Nino phenomenon will last until early 2024. This year, the heat in the Southern region sometimes reaches over 39 degrees Celsius, and this temperature has never occurred in the Southern region in many years.

Mr. Le Hong Phong, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Hydrometeorology, said that drought and salinity have caused about 1,800 billion VND in damage to Ben Tre province in recent years. In the dry season of 2019 - 2020, salinity intrusion was deeper into the fields than in 2015 - 2016 but the damage was less. This shows that the solutions to prevent natural disasters and salinity intrusion of localities are effective.

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