Rather than grappling with salt intrusion and climate change, the Mekong Delta is trying to adapt to the new situation. Drought and saltwater intrusion are affecting the Mekong Delta, causing severe damage to rice paddies, crops and aquaculture ponds in 7 coastal provinces. Scientific research proves that the formation, tectonics and development of the Mekong Delta over millions of years is a continuous process of interaction between river and sea. Therefore, a person must rely on the laws of nature to adapt to the situation, and not risk himself against nature. This strategy is embodied in Government Ordinance No. 120 on Sustainable Development Pathways for the Mekong Delta in the context of climate change. Many fish species in the Mekong Delta live in brackish water. Australia's coastline is 40 times longer than the Mekong Delta, the analyst said. However, due to natural conditions (desert by the sea), the country's annual catch is equal to only one province of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. Mr. Heep emphasized that brackish water should be seen as a resource for economic development in marine and coastal areas.

The Mekong Delta is taking measures to prevent and control salt intrusion in the next dry season.

Local authorities in the Mekong Delta have begun to take action to cope with the impact of salt intrusion and drought in the upcoming 2020-2021 dry season.

Local authorities in Can Tho city and the 12 provinces of the delta recommended that farmers plant rice and other crops during the dry season, according to a specific schedule and in areas where irrigation can be guaranteed. In recent years, the Delta, the largest producer of rice, fruit and seafood in the country, has faced severe sea-side salinity through river estuaries during the dry season.

Coastal provinces have modernized their irrigation systems for plant protection and aquaculture.

The Sokchang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends that farmers plant winter and spring rice crops in 2020-21 one month earlier than usual to minimize the impact of salinity and drought.

Department deputy director Huyin Ngoc Nha said farmers are being encouraged to use good agricultural practices to cope with freshwater shortages.

To store fresh water, the Tra Vinh Provincial People's Committee decided to deepen 10 irrigation canals with a total cost of VND 69 billion (US $ 3 million). Also, sea dams, embankments and other infrastructure will be surveyed and repaired.

Pham Minh Truen, director of the Tra Vinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that salt penetration into the province's main rivers and canals in the 2020-2021 dry season is expected to be higher in the 2015-16 dry season.

“Salinity in the dry season of 2020-2021 can increase unpredictably and unevenly between rivers,” he said.

Local authorities in the delta have urged farmers to convert inefficient rice paddies to other crops of high economic value, to breed aquatic species, or engage in livestock production.

Provinces such as Tienjang and Ben Tre have provided farmers with money and cultivation methods to improve orchards affected by salinity and drought, and have taken measures to protect the gardens. in the coming dry season.

Tien Giang, the largest fruit basket in the delta, has lent money to orchard owners to buy durian, jackfruit and turmeric seedlings to replace trees that had died from salt and drought.

In Ben Tre, the authorities have instructed farmers to wash the salt from the soil and restore the roots and leaves of the plant.

In the last dry season of 2019-20. Salt intrusion with a salt content of 4 grams / liter affected 1.68 million hectares of land in the delta, equivalent to 42.5% of the total delta area.

Most crops and fruit trees can tolerate as little as one gram per liter of salinity.

In the last dry season, about 42,000 ha of rice, more than 1,200 ha of vegetables and 8,700 ha of aquaculture were damaged in the salinization delta. 96,000 families in the delta lack clean water for everyday use.

However, as the Delta Provinces and Can Tho City have taken preventive measures, the 2019-20 dry season is less prone to damage from stronger salt intrusion than the 2015-16 dry season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. and rural development.

Provide clean water

12 Delta Provinces and Can Tho City are implementing measures to provide water to households for the next dry season. They modernize water supply facilities and build new ones, and instruct households to store clean water.

Ben Tre province has urged households in mangroves and drylands to store fresh and rainwater for use in the next dry season.

Many households in these areas use water tanks, cement tanks and other tools to store fresh water for domestic use during the next dry season.

In Anjiang province, irrigation canals will be deepened and upgraded to store fresh water for the next dry season.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, chairman of the Anjiang Provincial People's Committee, said he would conduct inspections to determine if households are lacking piped water and whether they are using wells, rainwater, rivers and canals.

After verification, the province will provide these households with clean water. He said: “The province has instructed departments, branches and localities to mobilize funds to build, repair and modernize rural water networks.