Nearly 40,000 ha of fruit trees possibly face water shortage in Mekong Delta

The Directorate of Water Resources warned that with the forecasted level of saltwater intrusion in March and April this year, it is essential to prevent the possibility of water shortage of about 40,000 hectares of fruit trees in the Mekong Delta.

Farmers in the Mekong Delta are proactively coping with saltwater intrusion. (Photo: SGGP)

According to the Directorate of Water Resources, at the estuaries of the Mekong River, saltwater intrusion will increase gradually from now to March 31. The salinity of 4 grams per liter will follow high tides to intrude 45-55 kilometers inland.

For the Vam Co River, salinity intrusion is possibly at 95-100 kilometers inland, 23-25 kilometers deeper than that in February. In the Cai Lon River area, saline intrusion will possibly at 55-60 kilometers inland, 6-11km deeper than the previous month.

It also warned that with the level of saltwater intrusion as forecasted in March and April this year, it is essential to prevent the possibility of water shortage for about 40,000 hectares of fruit trees, including 19,000 hectares in Tien Giang, 15,000 hectares in Ben Tre, 1,800 hectares in Vinh Long, 3,400 hectares in Soc Trang, and around 5,000 hectares of rice in Tra Vinh Province.

According to the Department of Crop Production, during the saline intrusion waves occurring from the beginning of this year, the water intake of irrigation works had been affected sometimes. However, farmers in many provinces have proactively reserve freshwater to water their crops.

Specifically, farmers in Ben Tre Province have dug nearly 500 water reservoirs with a capacity of 500 cubic meters of water per reservoir. In Tien Giang Province, farmers have prepared 1,200 water-storage-containers to accumulate water for irrigation. Of which, there are 109 water reservoirs, with a capacity of 2000 cubic meters of water per reservoir. Farmers have proactively stored freshwater for irrigation. Therefore, so far, saltwater intrusion has not caused damages to agricultural production.