Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta in the 2020-2021 dry season will be less severe than in the 2019-2020 dry season, 

The Mekong Delta region should take proactive measures to protect fruit orchards in the 2020 – 21 dry season as severe saltwater intrusion in rivers is forecast in the coming months, experts have said.

Saltwater intrusion and drought in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tra Vinh caused a total damage of VND1 trillion (US$43 million) to agricultural production in the 2019-20 dry season.

In 1997, 24-year-old Hoang Thi Minh Hong became the first Vietnamese to visit Antarctica as part of an expedition that included young people from 25 nations.

Tra Vinh has decided to provide relief worth over VND40 billion ($1.7 million) to more than 28,000 farming households to revive agriculture, which was severely affected by drought and saltwater intrusion in the 2019 - 20 dry season.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked authorities in the central and Central Highlands regions to take action to deal with the prolonged heat wave, drought and saltwater intrusion.

The Mekong Delta province of Long An, which has been hit by severe drought this year, needs more fresh water, but can only supply about 50 percent of demand from its 35 fresh water treatment plants and stations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged all sectors and localities to review and formulate response plans for natural disasters and incidents.

Tan Phu Dong, an islet district in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, has developed specialised farming areas to enable local farmers to adapt to climate change.

The Kenh Lap Reservoir in Ben Tre Province, the largest in the Mekong Delta, is drying up due to drought and saltwater intrusion, leaving thousands of households facing a water shortage.  

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Vietnam’s GDP growth rate of 3.82 percent in the first quarter of 2020, a record low since 2011, is still a miracle amidst a global economic recession, an official has said.