The drought and salinity in the 2024-2025 dry season is forecast to increase rapidly and penetrate deep into the fields. Kien Giang proactively and flexibly operates the coastal sluice system to store fresh water, respond to drought and salinity, and protect local crop productivity.
Mr. Le Huu Toan - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang province - said that ensuring crops for people is important, so the locality and related units proactively operate coastal sluices to respond to drought and salinity in the 2024-2025 dry season - Photo: CHI CONG
On the afternoon of December 16, Kien Giang held a conference to deploy work to prevent drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion in the 2024-2025 dry season in the province.
Forecast of early salinity intrusion and deep inland intrusion
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang province said that in the 2024-2025 winter-spring rice crop, the locality sowed more than 279,000 hectares.
According to Mr. Le Xuan Hien - Director of the Hydrometeorological Station of Kien Giang province, it is forecasted that in the first 6 months of 2025, the ENSO phenomenon will be in a neutral state, cold air will be able to operate strongly, causing unseasonal rain. From March to May 2025, Kien Giang will experience early heat waves (not as severe as in 2024). Therefore, at this time, salinity tends to increase rapidly and penetrate deep into the fields.
It is forecasted that Cai Lon - Cai Be River (Chau Thanh District) will have a salinity concentration of about 4‰, penetrating about 50-52km deep (Nam Dan Canal section); Go Quao River section will have a salinity concentration of about 1‰. The salinity will then tend to decrease gradually.
Mr. Le Tu Do - Director of the Mekong Delta branch of the Southern Irrigation Exploitation Company Limited - informed that from December 2024 to March 2025, the unit will flexibly operate Cai Be sluice so that Tram Bau station has a salinity concentration not exceeding 1‰ and salinity not exceeding 3‰ (end of March to end of April 2025).
"The unit will base on weather forecasts and local people's rice production plans to flexibly operate the Cai Lon - Cai Be sluice to help control salinity, limit risks, and maintain crop yields for people," said Mr. Do.
Southern Irrigation Exploitation Company Limited will proactively and flexibly operate the Cai Lon - Cai Be sluice to proactively respond to drought and salinity in the 2024-2025 dry season - Photo: CHI CONG
Proactive solutions to combat drought and salinity
Kien Giang Irrigation Department said that Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee recently had a plan to prevent drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion to ensure water sources for agricultural production and people's lives in the 2024-2025 dry season in the province.
The Provincial People's Committee requested the locality and relevant units to flexibly operate the coastal sluice system, the Vam Ba Lich boat lock sluice and especially the Cai Lon - Cai Be sluice to prevent saltwater intrusion into Cai San canal, Rach Gia - Long Xuyen canal... to keep fresh water, ensuring water for daily life and production for local people.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinated with local authorities to speed up the implementation of the flood and drought prevention project in the U Minh Thuong buffer zone to protect more than 14,300 hectares of rice and crops and 8,053 hectares of forest.
In addition, the locality has deployed dredging of 47 canals and ditches and combined with building dykes, reinforcing and building 51 new earthen dams in Kien Luong, An Bien, An Minh... to increase the capacity to store fresh water in the fields; people are advised to sow the 2024-2025 winter-spring rice crop early depending on the water source in each area.
"Ensuring livelihoods and crops for people is extremely important. Localities need to review the system of saltwater prevention works to promptly repair and meet fresh water storage needs.
The Department hopes that relevant units and localities will proactively operate and close the coastal sluice system, Cai Lon - Cai Be sluice, and Vam Ba Lich boat lock sluice to ensure synchronization and respond to drought and salinity in the 2024 - 2025 dry season," emphasized Mr. Le Huu Toan - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang province.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that in the 2023-2024 dry season, salinity intrusion will occur but the locality will not be affected, and about 213,764 hectares of winter-spring rice crop will maintain productivity.
However, due to prolonged heat and high temperatures, more than 5,400 hectares of brackish water shrimp raised by farmers in An Bien, An Minh and Vinh Thuan districts... were affected.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kien-giang-linh-hoat-dong-cong-ven-bien-ung-pho-han-man-trong-mua-kho-2024-2025-20241216164401258.htm
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