This is an assessment of Mr. Luong Van Anh, Deputy Director General, General Department of Irrigation at a meeting with Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang province on 4/5 on the direction, administration and prevention of drought. , lack of water, salinity intrusion in the dry season 2019-2020.

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

Drought and saltwater intrusion in the dry season 2019-2020 also greatly affect the daily life of people in the province, especially in coastal areas of districts 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) is affected by salinity, the underground water from the borehole in the households' shallow area is reduced and depleted, not enough for exploitation and use. For households using domestic water from centralized water supply works, this area is 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 saline 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 4,100 km and a total budget of VND 668 billion.

In addition, the province has also done well in recommending seasonal calendars, timely and accurate information on saline intrusion, changing plant and animal structure, implementing measures and integrated solutions,storing fresh water, applying advanced and thrifty technologies in irrigation, helping the crop area to be damaged and affected greatly reduce compared to drought and saltwater 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 saline intrusion, the province also implemented an urgent solution to transport domestic water to 71 households in Thanh Thoi An commune, Tran De district.

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

Recently, according to the 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 salinity drought 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 dry season 2019-2020 so that people can take initiative in coping with 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 salinity 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, newly constructing Long Phu sluice gate and 6 combined sluice gates to control saline intrusion from Cua Tran De. 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, yielding 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 to support and respond to radical basis. The General Department of Irrigation will continue to accompany Soc Trang in prevention and response to drought, salinity and protection of agricultural production.