Take early action before drought and saltwater intrusion.

Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mau province, said that the impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion have seriously affected the lives, production, daily activities, transportation infrastructure, sea dykes, etc., throughout the province. In particular, the most sensitive and severely affected areas are the freshwater zones in U Minh and Tran Van Thoi districts; given the province's natural conditions, these are also the areas primarily affected by saltwater intrusion.

According to the directive in Official Dispatch No. 128/CD-TTg dated December 8, 2024, from the Prime Minister , the first months of 2025 may experience drought and localized water shortages, especially in the South Central and Central Highlands regions. In the Mekong Delta, there is a possibility of localized water shortages and deep saltwater intrusion into river estuaries, affecting people's lives and production and business activities.

Drought and saltwater intrusion in freshwater areas of Ca Mau province only occur during the dry season, usually starting from January onwards, and can last for more than 6 months, with saltwater intrusion in freshwater areas potentially lasting longer. Drought primarily affects production and vulnerable groups. Specifically, the elderly, children, women, poor households, near-poor households, people with disabilities, and households living in areas with acidic water are the most vulnerable groups. Poor women, those with low incomes, and vulnerable women are particularly hard hit because most rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. When drought occurs, it leads to crop failure and loss of livelihood. Their roles as caregivers and homemakers force them to work harder, making them more susceptible to psychological, physiological, and health problems.

Taking proactive measures should gradually reduce the damage.

The damage caused by drought during the 2015-2016 dry season exceeded 1.4 trillion VND; the 2019-2020 dry season caused approximately 800 billion VND in damage; and most recently, the damage during the 2023-2024 dry season was over 28 billion VND. While the severity of the droughts was similar, the damage gradually decreased and became less significant due to proactive measures taken by local authorities, including improved infrastructure and increased public awareness of response. Specifically, the current system of sluice gates for preventing saltwater intrusion, preserving freshwater, and controlling tides includes 214 irrigation sluice gates and 25 pumping stations regulating water, preventing saltwater intrusion, preserving freshwater, and removing acidity and salinity. These systems are basically operating stably and are ready to respond when drought and saltwater intrusion occur in freshwater areas. "That is a clear result of acting early in the face of natural disasters," shared Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Head of the Irrigation Sub-Department.

The above situation shows the need for proactive and timely regulation and storage of water to serve the needs of the population, agricultural production, forest fire prevention and control, and support for people according to the response plan to drought and saltwater intrusion warnings from relevant agencies. Proactive and flexible organization of production, adjustment of cropping seasons and crop and livestock structures to suit water resource conditions are crucial. Timely dissemination of forecast and early warning information, along with communication plans with clear messages guiding specific actions (water and food storage, protecting production according to warning information, seasonal schedules, suitable crop varieties, and directives from local authorities, etc.), is essential. All resources should be proactively mobilized to serve the response to drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion in freshwater areas, ensuring timeliness, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness to minimize damage caused by drought and saltwater intrusion in freshwater areas.

Mr. Phan Hoang Vu stated that the response to drought and saltwater intrusion in freshwater areas prioritizes water for domestic use and forest fire prevention and control; advises people not to cultivate crops in areas at risk of water shortage and to switch to suitable, water-saving crops, especially proactively storing rainwater at the end of the rainy season for domestic use during the dry season; effectively operates saltwater intrusion prevention structures; and ensures that funding for drought response is timely, economical, effective, and in accordance with procedures and regulations. “The province has developed two scenarios to proactively respond to damage caused by drought in 2025 and subsequent years, outlining quite specific response actions at each forecast level, while regularly monitoring the situation and making flexible updates and adjustments to closely match the actual situation,” Mr. Phan Hoang Vu added.

Source: https://www.mard.gov.vn/Pages/hanh-dong-som-truoc-han-han-xam-nhap-man.aspx?item=3