Officials from provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta – the country’s rice granary - and rice exporters have urged the government to resume rice exports without setting limits, saying many firms face difficulties because of this.

Scientists predict that in 50-100 years, the Mekong Delta may be one meter below the sea water level because of climate change.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on April 20 ordered advancing the export quota of 100,000 tonnes of rice from that set for May in order to ease difficulties for firms that have rice stuck at ports but are unable to submit customs declarations.

Chau Tran Vinh, deputy head of the Department of Water Resources Management under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, talks about water security challenges and measures to tackle them.

The Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau plans to build more water supply systems, set up water pipes, drill bore wells, and provide water containers for households affected by drought and saline intrusion.

Authorities have instructed farmers in the Mekong Delta to sow the summer – autumn rice crop on established schedules to mitigate the damage of drought, saltwater intrusion and disease.

Since drought and saltwater intrusion are becoming severe in the Mekong Delta in the dry season, localities in the region have actively developed plans, scenarios, and implemented solutions to prevent and control drought and saltwater intrusion.

The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang has declared a state of emergency after drought and saltwater intrusion hit the region, strongly affecting local residents’ lives and production.

Thousands of people in the Mekong Delta Region have been given free freshwater to deal with the on-going drought and saline intrusion.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has recently proposed an aid package worth 515.3 billion VND (22 million USD) to deal with drought and saltwater intrusion in 2020.

Switching to high-value crops and adopting advanced techniques have helped farmers in Soc Trang Province’s Cu Lao Dung District cope reasonably well with the effects of climate change and ensure steady incomes.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved the resumption of rice export provided that food security must be guaranteed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, drought and saltwater intrusion.

Saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta will likely remain at a high level until the end of April or early May, before gradually declining, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

More farmers in the Mekong Delta have restructured their crop cultivation to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has proposed exempting charges on businesses for granting rights to exploit water resources for half a year, estimated at over $25 million, or for a year.

Nguyen Van Tinh, director general of the Department of Water Resources, speaks about Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s decision to grant VND500 billion to control salt water intrusion in eight Mekong Delta provinces

Eleven minor earthquakes have occurred in Vietnam since the beginning of this year, according to the Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Thousands of hectares of farmland in the central region were likely to face severe water shortages for the summer-autumn rice crop, according to the General Department of Irrigation.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has allocated VND800 million (nearly US$34,000) to five provinces which have declared an emergency due to saltwater intrusion.

Experts believe that it is necessary to think of measures to lead water to the Mekong Delta through a transmission network to save the area from severe drought and saline intrusion.