It is now the dry season, but landslides and subsidence are occurring in most localities in Mekong Delta.

Hundreds of hectares of rice fields in Binh Thuan Commune, Binh Dinh Province are being abandoned due to serious drought.

Though saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta comes earlier and with higher level of salinity than that recorded in the 2015-16 dry season, the damages to farming areas are expected to be less serious

The southernmost province of Ca Mau has been seriously ravaged by long drought.

All forests south of the Hau River in the Mekong Delta have been facing the threat of fire since the middle of this month, and any fire would spread very quickly because of the heat and low humidity, local authorities have warned. 

The UN Development Programme and the Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development signed an agreement on March 17 to support the Mekong Delta’s response to drought and saltwater intrusion.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has called on provinces in the south-central coastal and Central Highlands regions to take measures to minimise the impacts of drought on summer-autumn crops.

The Mekong Delta region has been badly hit by saltwater intrusion. Experts have warned that the region will have to suffer prolonged drought and saline intrusion during the rest of this year’s dry season.

Farmers have been still struggling to maintain agricultural production during prolonged hot weather in the coastal central province of Ninh Thuan.

The southern tourist island of Phu Quoc is facing water shortage due to serious droughts.

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.

From dusk till dawn, roaming districts of Giong Trom and Ba Tri in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, are dozens of tractors delivering freshwater to local households.

Provinces in the Mekong Delta are taking prompt actions to help local residents adapt to drought and saltwater intrusion during the dry season.

The General Water Resources Directorate has predicted that saline intrusion in Mekong Delta this year will come earlier and be more serious than in 2015-2016.

Little rainfall is forecast across the country in March and April, the remaining months of the dry season, particularly in the central region, said Vu Duc Long, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

The farmers in Binh Thuan Province are facing dropping river water levels and imminent drought.

The Mekong Delta is taking steps to ensure sufficient freshwater supply for household use and agricultural production in areas affected by saltwater intrusion and drought.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) asked localities nationwide to stay active in responding to drought and saltwater intrusion, during a meeting in Hanoi on February 7.

The drought in the dry season this year will be quite harsh and water shortage may occur in many places. The central region may face serious water shortage from June.

Saltwater intrusion has occurred in most areas of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tra Vinh, forcing authorities to close most saltwater-prevention sluices and to stop planting the 2019-20 winter-spring crop in some areas.