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.

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 VietNamNet Bridge - Nearly 100 km away from estuary, Can Tho – the largest city in the Mekong Delta – is still affected by salty water as saline intrusion is the worst in decades in Vietnam’s southwestern region.

VietNamNet Bridge – The eight provinces in the southern region of Vietnam, including Ben Tre, Kien Giang, Long An, Tien Giang, Soc Trang, Ca Mau, Vinh Long, and Tra Vinh have been declared areas faced with natural disaster (drought and salinity).

 VietNamNet Bridge - In the future, the Mekong Delta will suffer increasingly severe impact from climate change. Drought, saltwater intrusion, lack of sediment and severe flooding in the rainy season will all occur, scientists said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung urged agencies to take measures to tackle the ongoing drought and saline intrusion in the central region at a Government meeting on Monday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang is facing extremely low water levels in local rivers, canals and fields, affecting the locality’s aquatic productivity.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The ongoing drought has seriously affected farms and households in the Mekong Delta, causing water shortages for thousands of families in the provinces of Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Ben Tre and Tien Giang.

VietNamNet Bridge – Farmers in the central province of Quang Nam are concerned about the salinity intrusion which could destroy hundreds of hectares of rice fields.

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Xisha islands - Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago – should belong to Vietnam as both mainland China and Taiwan have never actually controlled this territory, said Chinese citizen Zhang Pei Qiang.