Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)Tien Giang (VNA) - No households should be left without water and waterstorage measures are very much in need, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said onSeptember 23.
He made the statementat a meeting with representatives of Mekong Delta localities in My Tho city of Tien Giang province, which sought ways to respond to risks from drought andsaltwater intrusion during the 2020-2021 dry season.
He suggestedrescue measures not only for residents but also for animals, crops, and fruittrees.
Apart frommaintaining production in the new circumstances, it is also necessary tocontinue with the export of fruit and agro-forestry products such as rice andshrimp, which are major staples of the region, the PM said.
Besides raising public awareness of drought and saltwater intrusion, he ordered thata close eye be kept on weather conditions and water resources, a shift in farmingstructure be made, and response plans devised.
The PM assignedthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to speed up theimplementation of major irrigation and water supply projects and the Ministryof Health to guide the localities in monitoring water quality.
Apart from droughtand saltwater intrusion, attention should also be paid to flood prevention, hesaid, stressing that it is necessary to protect human life and propertyduring flooding.
In the long run, hesuggested solutions regarding science-technology, digital applications, and newtechnologies in the fight, and reviews of water supply plans for the MekongDelta, especially coastal localities and the Ca Mau peninsula, as well asagricultural production plans.
While in TienGiang, PM Phuc also made a field trip to farming models in Hiep Duc and Cai Laycommunes.
It has been reportedthat the Mekong Delta experienced record saline intrusion in the 2015-2016 and2019-2020 dry seasons, seriously affecting local production and daily life.
The region isforecast to see a high level of drought and saltwater intrusion in the upcoming2020-2021 dry season, with about 5.3-6.1 percent of its total rice area and14-23 percent of its fruit-growing area affected. Some 70,600 local households willalso face water shortages./.
VNA
