VietNamNet Bridge – Provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region are taking steps to protect households and crops from flooding as water levels are expected to rise quickly in the next few days, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

A farmer tries to save crops affected by flooding in Dong Thap Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Chuong Dai

Flooding is expected in low-lying areas, along riverbanks, and in areas located outside of dykes in An Giang, Dong Thap and Long An provinces, among others.

Bui Thanh Liem, head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ben Tre Province’s Cho Lach District, said that dykes would be reinforced to protect orchards, while areas with weak dykes would be monitored closely.

The district’s People’s Committee is working with agencies to issue warnings about landslide risks, while the province’s agriculture sector has instructed localities to watch weather conditions and tides so farmers can harvest crops unprotected by dyke systems. 

In Dong Thap Province, serious measures are being taken to combat rising floodwaters from upstream, and rice seeds are only being sown in areas with strong dykes.

Landslides are also a problem in the province, where 900 households are in urgent need of relocation but have nowhere to go, according to authorities.

The provincial People’s Committee has asked the Government to fund construction of 12 residential areas for these households at a total cost of VND657 billion (US$28 million).

Nguyen Truong Son, deputy head of the Office of the Central Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention, said localities had been instructed to provide the latest information about weather conditions to agencies and local residents. 

The highest water level recorded recently was 3.76m at Tan Chau Station on the Tien River and 3.27m at Chau Doc Station on the Hau River on Wednesday.

By Sunday, the highest water level is expected to reach 3.8m at Tan Chau Station on Tien River and 3.25m at Chau Doc Station on Hau River.

On August 15, high tidal waves occurred in Can Tho City for the third consecutive day, causing flooding on many streets, especially those along Hau River.

Tidal waves this year in Can Tho occurred earlier than in previous years.

The situation is the same in Vinh Long where many inner roads have flooded due to high tides.

Huge losses

Thousands of hectares of rice and cash crops in An Giang Province are under water, causing huge losses to farmers, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

In Cho Moi District, tornadoes and torrential rains have flooded 1,000ha of rice and cash crops in An Thanh Trung, Hoa Binh and Hoi An communes, damaging 75ha of rice and 40-60 per cent of cash crops.

Cho Moi District is also facing unpredictable landslides, affecting the lives of thousands of farmers and households. 

Provincial authorities said 16 landslide spots exist in the district, with a total length of about 42.5km, affecting 1,000 households, the largest figure in the entire Mekong Delta. 

In Bac Lieu, torrential rains and high floodwater levels have affected nearly 60,000ha of summer-autumn rice crops, reducing productivity by 20-30 per cent, causing huge losses to farmers.

As of the middle of August, more than 3,300ha of farm-raised shrimp had been damaged by natural disasters in Bac Lieu, according to local authorities.

Ten houses and other public facilities like electricity posts have been seriously damaged in the province, causing losses of hundreds of millions of dong.

Source: VNS