Mekong Delta provinces of Vietnam have called on the government to allocate VND22 billion ($12.2 million) to mitigate impacts of drought and salt water intrusion, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said April 5. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the delta’s coastal provinces of Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Kien Giang and Ben Tre now have 620,000 hectares of winter-spring rice affected by drought and salt water intrusion, or 40% of the province’s total rice acreage. Pham Van Du, deputy head of the ministry’s Cultivation Department, said salt water intrusion will cause a severe shortage of water for 120,000 hectares of spring-summer rice crop in early Apr. Du added that around 500 hectares out of 1.62 million hectares of summer-autumn rice crop to be cultivated in April and May will also need supporting with irrigation. The provinces’ hydro-meteorological bureaus forecast that salt water intrusion will enter 70 km inland in May and the delta’s coastal provinces will be the hardest hit localities. The provinces have been taking measures, including strengthening dikes and closing sluice gates to prevent further salt water intrusion during high tides. They have been also building irrigation works, dredging canals and preserving fresh water in reservoirs, pools and canals for farming.
