Laos helps Vietnam deal with drought, salt intrusion
Laos is releasing water from its dams to the Mekong River to help Vietnam cope with drought and salt intrusion in the Mekong Delta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on March 25.
Hanoi (VNA) – Laos is releasing water from its dams to the Mekong River to help Vietnam cope with drought andꦓ salt intrusion in the Mekong Delta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on March 25.
The ministry quoted Lao Minister of Energy and Mines Khammany Inthirath as saying on March 23 that Laos will discharge around 1,136 cubmic meters of water per second to the lower Mekong River basin from March 23 to the end of May this year.
Together with the volume of water being released from dams in China and several rivers of Thailand, the total amount of extra water from the upper Mekong River flowing down to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam will be about 3,611 cubic meters per second.
The water is expected to arrive in the Mekong Delta in the first week of April 2016, according to the Vietnamese foreign ministry.-VNA
The water shortage, drought and salt intrusion in the central region and the Central Highlands provinces this year is forecast to be more severe than last year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will provide financial support for localities in the Mekong Delta regions which have been affected by acute drought and salt intrusion.
Vietnam welcomes China’s plan to release water from its Jinghong Hydropower Station reservoir into the lower Mekong River in order to deal with drought in Vietnam from March 15-April 4.
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Illustrative image (Source: AFP/VNA)
