Solutions for water resources in the Mekong Delta – Part 2: Preventing saltwater intrusion is behind schedule, people are at a disadvantage

And people in localities where these projects are located are crying out for serious impacts from drought and saltwater intrusion.

The people have had enough, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development apologizes

In early April 2024, under the scorching sun, even though drought was happening everywhere, Mr. Nguyen Van Thien (63 years old, living in Thanh Thoi B commune, Mo Cay Nam district, Ben Tre province) was still wading through the sea. Highway 01 runs across the front of the house.

Mr. Thien said that from the beginning of the year until now, twice a month, each time lasting about 3-4 days, he had to wade through water because of high tides. “If you want to go to a party, you have to avoid high tide to go. The hardest thing is for families with children going to school, they have to build boats to transport them because motorbikes cannot run,” Mr. Thien said.

The place where Mr. Thien and about 1,000 other people live is next to the Co Chien River. Every time the tide is high, water from the river flows along Vam Thom deep inland, causing this area to be severely flooded. In the months when the salt water encroaches deeply, the internal canals and people’s gardens are also attacked by salt water, so the profits from the fields and gardens are not much.

In 2017, people like Mr. Thien were excited when the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development approved the JICA-3 project – a large-scale irrigation project built in Ben Tre province.

The project has a total investment of nearly 6,200 billion VND from loans from the Japanese Government, assigned to Irrigation Construction Investment Management Board 9 as the investor.

The project includes 8 culverts: An Hoa, Thu Cuu, Ben Tre, Tan Phu, Ben Ro, Cai Quao, Vam Nuoc Trong, Vam Thom in the districts of Chau Thanh, Binh Dai, Giong Trom, Mo Cay Bac, Mo Cay South and Ben Tre City. According to plan, the project will be completed by the end of 2023, helping Ben Tre province proactively regulate water sources, ensuring production and people’s livelihood, especially against the effects of saltwater intrusion.

However, by the dry season of 2024, i.e. after 7 years of project implementation, currently only 2/8 of the salinity prevention sluice projects have been completed, including Tan Phu sluice and Ben Ro sluice (Chau Thanh district). The project’s remaining 6 saltwater prevention culverts have not yet been constructed.

“If Vam Thom sewer and Vam Nuoc Trong sewer are invested on schedule, my family and thousands of other Ben Tre people will be protected by the sewer system, will not be flooded, and will ensure there is enough fresh water for use around. year,” Mr. Thien said.

Faced with this situation, at a recent working session between the delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ben Tre province, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep admitted that due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the JICA-3 project was implemented slowly. more than planned. When the project lasted, due to exchange rate fluctuations and increased materials, the project cost increased by more than 2,000 billion VND.

“We are very sorry to Ben Tre province because previously the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had committed to the province that by 2023 it would basically complete the JICA-3 project to basically close the South – North Ben Tre irrigation projects. , fundamentally solving the problem of regulating the province’s water sources.

But up to now, the project has not been implemented due to financial problems,” Mr. Hiep frankly said, adding that this project will continue to be implemented.

A series of salinity prevention culverts lack operating power lines

Nearly 2:00 pm one day in mid-April 2024, Tuoi Tre newspaper reporter returned to Van Khanh Dong commune, An Minh district (Kien Giang) – where the location is adjacent to the sea and local people are directly affected by salinity drought causing shrimp Tiger and sea crabs raised in rice fields died en masse, with an estimated loss of 30 – 80% in productivity.

Affected by drought and salinity, causing the family’s 2 hectares of black tiger shrimp to be completely lost, Mr. Ly Van Tinh – a resident of Van Khanh Dong commune – sadly said: “This Rach Ong sluice is only about 500m from An Minh sea, so the sea water is directly encroaching deeply into the inland canals.

The salinity concentration I measured at this time was up to 40‰ so I could not pump it into the field. I can’t even stand that saltiness, let alone shrimp and crabs. If this sluice can be closed, people will be very happy,” Mr. Tinh said bitterly.

At around 5:00 p.m. the same day, the tide rose rapidly, sea water flowed through the Rach Ong sewer into the inner-field canals. However, the Rach Ong sluice gate as well as many other salinity prevention sluices along the An Minh – An Bien coastal line still lie motionless despite being carefully and firmly invested.

“In the local Rach Ong sewer area, there is no power line (about 1km) directly extending there, so there is no electricity to operate the sewer,” Mr. Nguyen Van Til – vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Van Khanh Dong commune – informed.

Speaking further, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dien – deputy head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of An Minh district – confirmed that the peak of the 2024 dry season, prolonged heat, and high salinity have directly affected local people raising black tiger shrimp and mud crabs in the fields. paddy. To date, the locality has recorded more than 800 hectares of shrimp and crab farms affected.

“The culvert system on the sea dyke line of An Minh – An Bien district does not have a 3-phase power line, so the locality cannot proactively operate and close the sluice in a timely manner to control salinity. If there is a 3-phase power line, the locality will proactively Operate and close culverts alternately, contributing to protecting people’s agricultural production,” Mr. Dien said.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang province, the unit advises the Provincial People’s Committee to soon submit to the central government to arrange investment capital for the project to build a system of 9 sewers along Xeo Ro river to An Minh – An Bien district; Provide additional funding of 22 billion VND to renovate, upgrade and repair saltwater control sluices and auxiliary works, dredge canals, and ensure fresh water storage.

“For 17 sluices along the An Minh – An Bien sea route, the province has currently approved and is carrying out procedures, soon constructing a 3-phase power system to operate the sluice system. From there, it ensures to prevent salinity, maintain fresh water, protect production for the people,” Mr. Le Huu Toan – Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang province – explained further.