Ben Tre, March 7 (VNA) – The southern province of Ben Tre is facing difficulties in the prevention of drought and saltwater intrusion.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Cao Van Trong said the biggest problem at present is the shortage of funds, which make it difficult for the locality to implement irrigation projects to prevent salinity, reserve fresh water and expand the fresh water supplying network to coastal districts.
To cope with the dry season in 2017, the province has carried out a number of short-and long-term projects.
More than 110 km of canals have been dredged, 73 km of embankments were upgraded, and a fresh water reservoir is being built with a designed capacity of about 800,000 cubic meters in Ba Tri district.
Construction of temporary dams is underway in Chau Thanh, Giong Trom, Ba Tri, and Mo Cay Bac districts, and hundreds of sluice gates have been repaired.
Local people were encouraged to store rainwater and freshwater for daily use and production.
In the long run, Ben Tre will continue making use of all financial resources to implement projects improving irrigation infrastructure and water resources management.
The province has also advised farmers in coastal areas to switch from rice to other plants.
According to the provincial hydrometeorology forecast centre, salt water with salinity of up to 0.4 percent has infiltrated 38-46 km inland.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Cao Van Trong said the biggest problem at present is the shortage of funds, which make it difficult for the locality to implement irrigation projects to prevent salinity, reserve fresh water and expand the fresh water supplying network to coastal districts.
To cope with the dry season in 2017, the province has carried out a number of short-and long-term projects.
More than 110 km of canals have been dredged, 73 km of embankments were upgraded, and a fresh water reservoir is being built with a designed capacity of about 800,000 cubic meters in Ba Tri district.
Construction of temporary dams is underway in Chau Thanh, Giong Trom, Ba Tri, and Mo Cay Bac districts, and hundreds of sluice gates have been repaired.
Local people were encouraged to store rainwater and freshwater for daily use and production.
In the long run, Ben Tre will continue making use of all financial resources to implement projects improving irrigation infrastructure and water resources management.
The province has also advised farmers in coastal areas to switch from rice to other plants.
According to the provincial hydrometeorology forecast centre, salt water with salinity of up to 0.4 percent has infiltrated 38-46 km inland.
VNA/VNP
