Thanks to the salinity prevention sewer system, Soc Trang province has significantly reduced the impact of drought and saltwater intrusion during the 2019-2020 dry season.

This is an assessment of Mr. Luong Van Anh, Deputy Director of the General Department of Water Resources at a meeting with Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang province on May 4 about the direction, administration and prevention of drought, lack of water, saltwater intrusion in the 2019-2020 dry season.

According to a report of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province, drought and saltwater intrusion in the dry season of 2019-2020 has damaged more than 4,000 hectares of rice of the province, concentrated in the sowing area of ​​farmers not following the recommendations of the agriculture sector. In addition, 27 hectares of vegetables and fruit trees were also affected and reduced in productivity due to lack of fresh water for irrigation.

Drought and saltwater intrusion in the 2019-2020 dry season also greatly affected the daily life of people in the province, especially in coastal 0districts such as Tran De, Long Phu and Vinh Chau.

Therefore, the total number of households lacking domestic water, at the highest time, was over 26,500 households. The main reason is that the surface water (river) was affected by saltwater intrusion, the underground water from the borehole in the households' shallow area reduced and depleted, not enough for exploitation and use. For households using domestic water from centralized water supply works, this area was not affected

Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nha, Deputy Director of Soc Trang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that to prevent and combat drought and saltwater intrusion, Soc Trang province has invested in building 16 pumping stations and repairing 45 sluices; at the same time, dredging 53 source canals and secondary canals with length of 4,100 km and a total budget of VND 668 billion.

In addition, the province has also done well in recommending seasonal schedule, giving timely and accurate information on saltwater intrusion, changing plant and animal structure, implementing measures and integrated solutions of storing fresh water, applying advanced and thrifty technologies in irrigation. These helped reduce the damaged and affected crop area compared to drought and saltwater intrusion five years ago.

For domestic water, Soc Trang has built, upgraded, repaired and extended the water supply pipeline from the existing concentrated water supply works of over 456,000m to 16,500 rural households. During the drought, the highest saltwater intrusion, the province also implemented an urgent solution to transport domestic water to 71 households in Thanh Thoi An commune, Tran De district.

Recently, according to Decision No. 504 / QD-TTg dated 10/4/2020 of the Prime Minister, the province has provided VND 60 billion to Soc Trang province to overcome the drought and saltwater intrusion and ensure clean water for households. in remote and isolated districts and ethnic minority areas in the province.

With non-structural solutions, Soc Trang province directs the localities to sow according to the recommended seasonal schedule 15-20 days earlier than the same period every year. Continuously inform the situation and developments of the weather in the 2019-2020 dry season so that people can take initiative in responding to drought and saltwater intrusion. In particular, to closely monitor water sources on rivers and canals to rationally regulate the construction systems to supply fresh water for production and daily life.

In order to be proactive and timely in responding to and minimizing the lowest saltwater intrusion in the following years, Soc Trang province also asked the superior to provide VND 1,400 billion for the construction of 3 additional fresh water pumping stations for Long Phu-Tiep Nhat area, to build a new Long Phu Sluice and 6 combined sluices to control saltwater intrusion from De De Gate.

At the meeting, Mr. Luong Van Anh also suggested that in the coming time, Soc Trang should pay attention to the forced pumping system that neighboring provinces have done, yield positive results; at the same time, there is a detailed assessment of the situation of households, localities lacking domestic water, as well as specific solutions for basis support and respond. The Directorate of Water Resources will continue to accompany Soc Trang in prevention and response to drought, salinity and protection of agricultural production.