Minister Le Minh Hoan: It's time to declare that we are not a country with excess water.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan - Photo: QUOCHOI.VN

Minister Le Minh Hoan said "there must be a declaration to farmers in the Mekong Delta and the whole country that we are not a country with a surplus of water".

On the morning of June 4, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan discussed some opinions of delegates during the question-and-answer session with Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh.

Previously, many delegates raised issues of ministries on solving drought, saltwater intrusion, subsidence, dam safety, etc. in the Mekong Delta.

In response, Minister Le Minh Hoan shared: "I am also a resident of the Mekong Delta, so I can feel the difficulties of the people. In front of my house, I also feel the landslides and saltwater intrusion every day."

Mr. Hoan said that after the recent survey trip, the Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to submit a comprehensive project on strategies to approach drought, saltwater intrusion, and water scarcity in the Mekong Delta in September.

The Ministry has also organized two consultation sessions with experts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In June, it will organize a conference to meet with experts from 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta to hear more opinions.

Talking about the issue of water scarcity, Mr. Hoan said that the world is currently in a global drought era, not just in Vietnam.

Water conservation must be approached in three specific areas: water quantity, water quality and water usage. In particular, the usage will affect the quantity and quality of water.

"For a long time, we have never considered water as a resource, even though we talk about water resources. But now, facing the challenge of climate change, we must use water with the mindset of a finite resource and must approach water-scarce agriculture," said Mr. Hoan.

Mr. Hoan said: "We recently approached experts from Israel, a desert country but still has an outstanding agriculture. Initially, they proposed a story about educating children about the culture of saving water, saving in consumption, daily life and in agriculture."

And he stated his opinion: "Perhaps by now we must have a declaration to the farmers of the Mekong Delta and the whole country that we are not a country with a surplus of water and are increasingly scarce. From there we will transform the state of agriculture using limited water."

The head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stated the current situation: "We currently use flood irrigation and drainage irrigation, while people use drip irrigation. The state of water-saving agriculture will help adjust each unit of water for crops, livestock, and aquatic products.

Otherwise, when we run out of natural water, exploiting underground water will have many consequences and fall into a vicious cycle with no way out."

Minister Le Minh Hoan said that water resources are a big issue, requiring large resources, even long-term investment. Resolution 120 of the Government on sustainable development of the Mekong Delta also determined that living space and production space must be transformed to be more reasonable in the context of climate change.

In the immediate future, according to Mr. Hoan, the ministry will propose that the Prime Minister prioritize investment resources for projects in the Mekong Delta to limit saltwater intrusion and to close many areas where investment is "half-open". These projects will have a spreading effect so that many farmers can benefit.

Minister Le Minh Hoan: Carefully consider building water reservoirs

Regarding the issue of water reservoirs and water storage, Minister Le Minh Hoan said the resolution on the Mekong Delta mentioned this issue.

However, he suggested that localities should consider carefully. In the Mekong Delta, it is impossible to take a large enough area to build a lake to serve that locality alone. Therefore, a more comprehensive approach is needed.

Mr. Hoan cited the lesson from Tra Vinh, the province was not affected by saltwater intrusion during the last drought season. The reason is that the province has cleared many channels and canals. This is also a lesson that localities need to study.

According to TIEN LONG - THANH CHUNG - NGOC AN /TTO

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