Scientists and environmentalists are exploring ways to mitigate the effects of seawater encroachment in the Mekong Delta, which is expected to worsen due to the climate change forecast by experts.

The primary task for the region now is to build reservoirs, dykes, and culvert systems, they told a seminar on climate change held recently in Can Tho.

The reservoirs, along with lakes and ponds, would store rainwater for cultivation in the dry season and regulate water flows in the flood season, they explained.

Seawater, which enters up to 65km into the delta, has increased salinity and threatens agriculture, according to Ky Quang Vinh, director of the Natural Resources and Environment Monitoring Centre in Can Tho.

In Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ben Tre Provinces, it has affected around 60,000 ha of paddies.

Nearly 10,000ha of arable land in Tran Van Thoi, U Minh, and Thoi Binh districts in Ca Mau Province have become saline and unfit for cultivation.

Salinity has infiltrated up to 12km from downtown Can Tho in the dry season in recent years, increasing salt content to 0.04 per cent.

"Damage caused by seawater infiltration has not ceased," Vinh warned.

"Farmers have broken parts of dams in many regions to extract saltwater for fish and shrimp farms. This has worsened the situation.

"Despite the warning from environmentalists, authorities in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have not taken measures to stop farmers."

Vinh said instead of issuing warnings, scientists and environmentalists should meet officials to come up with solutions to help farmers adapt to the infiltration.

He called on Can Tho scientists to create rice strains that can resist salinity and have high yields.

"The rising sea level caused by global warming would inundate many areas in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta in the coming decades," scientists from Can Tho University said.

Can Tho is in a low-lying area that is thought to be especially vulnerable to climate change.

If the sea rises by 100cm, over 54 per cent of the city will be flooded while Ninh Kieu District which houses the city People’s Committee office and Thoi Lai and Co Do Districts will be completely under water.

(Source: VNS)