Floodwaters in the Mekong Delta region are forecast to surge in the coming days, threatening major dykes, according to the southern weather center. 

Flooding has damaged more than 2,900 hectares of summer-fall crops and more than 1,000 hectares of fall-winter crops in An Giang Province alone, the local media reported.

A farmer rows a boat in the flooding season in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang

By September 23, the water level of the Tien River, measured at Tan Chau hydrological station, is forecast to rise to alarm level 2 at four meters, while that of the Chau Doc station may reach 3.6 meters.

The complicated development of floodwaters will likely cause flooding in low-lying regions and badly affect crucial dykes. Tran Anh Thu, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in An Giang Province, warned that the water level at the Tan Chau station on September 25 may hit a maximum of 4.15 meters, exceeding alarm level 2, and that of Chau Doc may be 0.25 meters lower than alarm level 3, at 3.75 meters.

Aside from the thousands of hectares of crops damaged by flooding and downpours, dyke erosion was recorded at eight sites in the province and may have an adverse impact on 5,000 hectares of farmland, Thu added.

Flooding and torrential rain also wreaked havoc on nearly 250 houses and caused river bank erosion at 47 sites. Of these, 17 houses were destroyed, while 230 units had their roofs blown away, said Thu.

Tragically, a fallen tree triggered by floodwaters killed a woman and her child in Tan An Commune, Tan Chau City. Thu said these were the first fatalities caused by flooding this year.

Meanwhile, in Kien Giang Province, the water levels of Long Xuyen Quadrangle in the districts of Giang Thanh and Hon Dat increased daily by an average of 0.15-0.24 meters two weeks after the water discharge of the Tha La and Tra Su dams in An Giang. At the canals of Cai San and Rach Gia-Long Xuyen, the water levels were measured at 0.18-0.19 meters, according to Nguyen Huynh Trung, who currently works at Kien Giang’s agency of water resources.

Trung added that the province plans to harvest over 5,700 hectares of crops and to reinforce the dyke system covering some 4,700 hectares in the flood-hit localities of Giang Thanh, Kien Luong and Hon Dat.

The People’s Committee of An Giang proposed the Government provide over VND300 billion in financial support to some 900 households hit by land erosion and to reinforce crucial dykes. Meanwhile, Kien Giang’s government relocated some 1,000 families from the vulnerable districts of Kien Luong and Tan Hiep to safer places in case floodwater levels exceed the forecast figures.

Mekong water levels to peak at 4.05m on Sept 25: NCHMF The National Center for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) yesterday issued in the next three days, water levels on Mekong River will continue to recede due to low tides and then rising up later on. On September 25, water levels will peak at 4.05m, Chau Doc Station will measure at 3.65m and Stations in downstream Mekong will be above warning levels one and two. In the next days, water levels are forecast to rise slowly. On September 30, it will peak at 4.1m at Tan Chau Station, 3.7m at Chau Doc Station and the possibility of flooding in low-lying areas will be able to occur. In order to ensure the safety of dyke systems in the Mekong Delta region and provinces Kien Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, authorities should keep a close watch on the weather forecast situation and updated information from the center.

SGT/SGGP