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<\/p>\nTR\u00c0 VINH \u2013 The C\u1eedu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tr\u00e0 Vinh will dredge its 18 main irrigation canals that run a total of 162 km in the next four years at a cost of VN\u0110387 billion (US$16.7 million) to improve the supply of water for irrigation during the dry season.<\/p>\n
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The money will come from the Government and the province.<\/p>\n
The canals provide freshwater to the major agricultural districts of C\u00e0ng Long, C\u1ea7u K\u00e8, Ti\u1ec3u C\u1ea7n, Ch\u00e2u Th\u00e0nh, C\u1ea7u Ngang, and Tr\u00e0 C\u00fa and Duy\u00ean H\u1ea3i Town.<\/p>\n
The dredging will increase their capacity and help prevent the severe shortage of freshwater caused by saltwater intrusion during the dry season in recent years.<\/p>\n
Ph\u1ea1m Minh Truy\u1ec1n, director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said over the past four years the province had been severely affected by climate change, especially in the dry season, including impacts on agriculture and people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
Saltwater intrusion caused damages worth more than VN\u01101.1 trillion ($47.5 million) to agriculture in 2015 \u2013 16 season and VN\u01101 trillion ($43.2 million) in 2019 \u2013 20.<\/p>\n
Of the VN\u01101 trillion damage in the latter season, loss of rice crops accounted for VN\u0110919 billion ($39.7 million).<\/p>\n
The two dry seasons saw record levels of saltwater intrusion.<\/p>\n
With a coastline of 65 km, Tr\u00e0 Vinh is one of the provinces hardest hit in recent years, and is forecast to face severe saltwater intrusion in the current dry season.<\/p>\n
The salinity levels have been 1 \u2013 7.7 grammes per litre since December. To put it in perspective, most crops can only tolerate a salinity level of up to 1gm.<\/p>\n
The province has closed all 50 saltwater prevention sluices to protect its rice paddies.<\/p>\n
It has nearly 185,000ha of farmlands, or 70 per cent of its total land area.<\/p>\n
To sustainably develop agriculture, in recent years local authorities have encouraged farmers to cultivate other crops on unproductive rice fields, including fruits, or switch to aquaculture.<\/p>\n
In 2021 \u2013 25 the province plans to do so with more than 8,000ha of such fields. \u2013 VNS<\/p>\n
Source: Vietnamnews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"