HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Saltwater has intruded into many coastal areasin the Mekong Delta, causing a shortage of water for households andagricultural production.

In Ben Tre, the first province to be affected, saltwater intrusion beganin mid-February.

Saltwater has entered up to 50km deep inland into canals in rice fields inBen Tre. In Ba Tri district, the salt content rate of water in canals in ricefields has reached 0.1 – 0.15 percent.  

The salt content rate could affect 11,000ha of winter–spring rice in thedistrict, according to the district’s Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentDivision.

Local residents in the province’s coastal areas have to store fresh waterin ponds and containers for household use and agricultural production.

Nguyen Thi Hang of Ben Tre’s Giong Trom district said after the impact ofsaltwater intrusion in 2015, her family built water containers with a totalcapacity of 15cu.m to store rainwater in the dry season.

The southern region has entered the dry season, with the peak hot weatheroccurring between March and May.

This year saltwater intrusion is expected to be more serious than lastyear and the salt content higher as well, according to the National Centre forHydro-Meteorology Forecasting.

Le Van Hung, head of the Dong Thap province Sub-department of Irrigation,said the dry season came earlier this year and the water levels of rivers haddeclined to 0.1 – 0.3 metre lower than normal.

These factors would cause serious drought, especially in May. The end ofthe winter- spring crop and the beginning of the summer – autumn crop would beaffected, he said.

The province’s northern districts of Hong Ngu, Tan Hong, Tam Nong andThanh Binh and Hpng Ngu town would be the most affected, he said.

In Hau Giang province, about 40,000 to 50,000ha of winter – spring riceand summer – autumn rice will be hit by saltwater intrusion, according to theprovince’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Sluice gates on rivers where the content of salinity in water is high havebeen closed.

Tran Chi Hung, director of Hậu Giang Province’s Department of Agricultureand Rural Development, said the department had warned residents to prepareequipment to store water for daily use, consolidate embankments and dredgeponds to store water.

“Farmers should regularly visit their rice fields and watch news aboutsaltwater intrusion,” he said.

Hau Giang has spent 67.5 billion VND (2.9 million USD) on building 120temporary dams and sluices and dredge 71 canals.   

Earlier this year, authorities in the delta, which includes 12 provincesand Can Tho city, took many measures to prevent saltwater intrusion and droughtin the dry season.  

The localities have built temporary dams to prevent saltwater intrusionand dredged canals to have water for agricultural production. They have alsoencouraged farmers in saltwater affected areas to switch to other crops.

To deal with the delta’s annual saltwater intrusion, many coastal areas inthe delta are growing rice varieties that are highly resistant to saltwaterintrusion.

In Ca Mau province’s Cai Nuoc district, farmers are planting two new ricevarieties – Ca Mau 1 and Ca Mau 2 - in the ongoing winter-spring rice crop.

The varieties, which can resist saltwater with a salt content of 1.2percent, have soft and fragrant characteristics.

Doan Van Chinh, deputy head of the district’s Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Division, said the district was planting the two rice varieties ona total area of about 100ha and would later plant them on a large scale in PhuHung and Thanh Phu communes.

In Bac Lieu province, farmers are planting Soi and Mot Bui Do saltwater-resistantrice varieties in Hong Dan district.

Soi rice grows in water with a salt content of 0.9 – 1 percent and has ayield of 6 tonnes per ha. The rice variety is also disease resistant andquality meets export standards.

In the delta, farmers in coastal areas are also planting rice in the rainyseason and breeding shrimp, fish or other aquatic species in the dry season onthe same field. 

The rotation model, which offers high profits for farmers, has adaptedwell to climate change in the delta coastal areas, according to authorities.-VNS/VNA