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.

Fresh water supplies are being transported from HCM City to Mekong Delta provinces that have been affected by severe saltwater intrusion during the dry season.

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

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.

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 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Mekong River Commission (MRC) say the river bed of Mekong’s two main tributaries in Mekong Delta fell by 1.4 meters in 1998-2008 due to sand overexploitation.

Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta might reduce between late March and June this year, according to Phung Tien Dung, head of the Hydrological Forecasting Department for the Central, Central Highlands and Southern region.

Saltwater intrusion has occurred on a large scale in the Mekong Delta, forcing local authorities to take measures to protect agricultural production and ensure water supply for household use.

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.

Saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta during the dry season, is forecast to enter local rivers 30-40km deeper than the annual average.

Many provinces have been bracing for it following a forecast that the intrusion of seawater up rivers would be early and severe this year.

The Mekong Delta may experience sooner and even more serious droughts and saltwater intrusion in the 2019 – 2020 dry season, compared to the situation in 2016 when historic saline intrusion was recorded, an official has said.

Rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta are becoming alarming, said Prof. David Dapice, Senior Economist, Vietnam and Myanmar Programme, Harvard Kennedy School, at a meeting with leaders of Can Tho city on October 8.

The Mekong Delta plans to grow this year’s winter – spring rice crop early since drought and saltwater intrusion are forecast to be severe in the dry season starting at the end of this year.

The Mekong Delta region is sinking between 2 and 5cm per year, Lao Dong newspaper reported, citing source from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

Nguyen Huu Thien, talks to the newspaper Thanh Niên (Young People) on the eco-system in the Mekong Delta and threats from climate change.

Excessive groundwater exploitation is one of the main causes of land subsidence in the Mekong Delta region, the local media reported, citing sources at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

The coastal area of Go Cong, a major agricultural hub in Tien Giang Province, has taken effective measures against drought and saltwater intrusion into rivers this year.

VietNamNet Bridge - The drought and saltwater intrusion in 2016, and the historic high tides this year, are indicators of things to come in the Mekong Delta.