With the country overwhelmed by fear of the novel coronavirus, another even more severe threat is slowly approaching in the south: the death of the Mekong Delta.

Saltwater intrusion will worsen in the Mekong Delta region in March, especially from March 11 to 15, when it will be more severe than the peak recorded in mid-February and in the same period in 2016.

Though saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta was predicted to come earlier and with higher level of salinity than that recorded in the 2015-2016 dry season, the damages to farming areas are expected to be less serious.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorology Forecasting, the total rainfall from now until the end of 2019 in the southern region will be 10-30% lower than in previous years.

While some experts have issued a warning against high salinity in the dry season in the 2019-2020 period, a representative of the agriculture sector has remained optimistic.

Salinity and droughts will come earlier and be more severe than in the 2018-2019 dry season in the Mekong Delta, according to Hoang Phuc Lam, Vice Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.