Soc Trang farmers avoid being impatient in sowing seeds for the 2024 Summer-Autumn rice crop

Facing the developments of hot weather, drought, saltwater intrusion and the risk of lack of water for production and daily life, the People’s Committee of Soc Trang province has just issued a Plan to prevent and combat heatwaves, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion. dry season in the province in 2024.

According to the plan, localities and units in the province need to proactively respond quickly and promptly and strengthen the implementation of measures to prevent and combat heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion.

Focus on mobilizing all resources to effectively prevent and combat heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion; Do a good job of preventing salinity and storing fresh water to serve people’s production and daily life needs, minimizing damage caused by heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion.

The leaders of the Provincial People’s Committee also required good mental and physical preparation, adequate materials and means to respond when heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion occur according to the motto “four in place”.

Localities need to develop plans and scenarios appropriate to their management areas, take advantage of support from capital sources, and ensure minimal damage to production and people’s lives.

At the same time, speed up the construction progress of projects under construction to put them into operation and exploitation, promptly prevent salinity and store fresh water to serve production and people’s livelihood in the dry season.

Strengthen, advise and guide people to comply with recommendations and warnings of the farming industry not to sow the 2024 Summer-Autumn rice crop in areas without stable fresh water, and only organize cultivation when there is rain on the ground. large area or in areas with stable water supply.

Propagate, guide and mobilize people to implement water storage and treatment measures in cases where clean water is not available and to use clean water economically and safely effectively.

Review areas at risk of water shortage to proactively organize solutions to ensure domestic water supply, have specific water distribution plans for each period and make reasonable adjustments when water sources are lacking. shortage, to ensure enough water supply for daily life during periods of heat, drought, water shortage, saltwater intrusion…

According to Soc Trang Provincial Irrigation Department, the salinity intrusion situation in the province peaks in February – March, and it is forecast that by the end of May 2024, saltwater intrusion will gradually decrease.

Soc Trang province has also done well in preventing and combating saltwater intrusion right from the beginning of the dry season, so it successfully produced the Winter-Spring crop of 2023-2024. However, due to high rice prices, people in Long Phu and Tran De districts (where often affected by drought and salinity) continue to produce the Winter-Spring crop late at the peak of saline intrusion, so the risk is high. about water shortage and alum poisoning.

According to statistics, Soc Trang has about 6,000 hectares of unplanned late Winter-Spring rice, of which more than 1,000 hectares of rice were affected, 33 hectares were completely damaged.