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| A resident in Dong Xoai Town of Binh Phuoc Province uses water from drying up Suoi Cam lake for household purposes. Provinces in Mekong Delta have asked for some US$12 million to pump water to alleviate the drought. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue |
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The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has said that the Deltas coastal provinces of Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Kien Giang and Ben Tre now have 620,000ha of winter-spring rice affected by drought and salt water intrusion, accounting for 40 per cent of the provinces total rice area.
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Pham Van Du, deputy head of the ministrys Cultivation Department, said salt water intrusion would cause a severe shortage of fresh water for 120,000ha of the spring-summer rice crop in early April.
Besides, the Delta would begin sowing 1.62 million ha of this years summer-autumn rice crop in April and May; and 500ha of this area needs to be supported with additional irrigation, Du said.
The early onset of the dry season this year and prolonged drought have seen water levels in all rivers fall lower than in previous years.
This has caused saline water from the EastSea to enter the mouths of rivers by as much as 40-60km inland. The saline content of water in these areas has been measured at 0.2-0.7 per cent, according to the ministrys Irrigation Department.
Saline water with a salt content of 0.4 per cent and above can damage crops.
At the OngDocRiver alone, water with a salt content of 1.2-2.1 per cent has entered 50-60km inland in Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces.
Salt water intrusion is expected to enter 70km inland in May and the Deltas coastal provinces will be the hardest hit localities, according to the provinces hydro-meteorological bureaus.
The Delta provinces have been strengthening mitigatory measures, including strengthening dykes 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 purposes.
V.N.S