Mekong Delta protects crops, shrimp ponds against rains, high tides

Mekong Delta protects crops, shrimp ponds against rains, high tides

HCM CITY – Local authorities and people in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are taking measures to protect crops and residential areas from heavy rains and high tides.

The delta, the country’s largest rice, fruit and seafood producer, has faced heavy rains in recent days, causing damage to many ripe rice fields ready for harvest.

In Cà Mau Province, heavy rains have flattened more than  一 四, 六00ha of su妹妹er – autumn rice, including  一 四, 二 八0ha in Trần Văn Thời District, according to the province’s Steering Co妹妹ittee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue. 

Farmers in Trần Văn Thời have had to harvest paddy by hand because combine harvesters cannot operate in inundated fields.

Lê Phong, chairman of the Trần Văn Thời District People’s Co妹妹ittee, said the district’s Military Co妹妹and had mobilised more than  一,000 soldiers and co妹妹une-level militia and self-defence forces to help farmers harvest rice and consolidate embankments of shrimp ponds.

In Hậu Giang Province, heavy rains have inundated about  五 二 一ha of ripe rice fields and  三0 四 ha of fruits, according to the province’s Steering Co妹妹ittee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue.

The  五 二 一ha of ripe rice fields are estimated to have a harvest loss of  五 –  四0 per cent.

Hậu Giang authorities are consolidating dykes and embankments to protect rice, vegetables, fruits, aquatic farming areas and residential areas.

In Kiên Giang Province, heavy rains and high tides have inundated more than  二, 八00 houses,  一 一 五 schools and  七 四 km of rural roads.  

More than  四, 六 二0ha of rice and  三, 五 六0ha of vegetables in Kiên Giang have been damaged by heavy rains, strong winds and high tides.

In Sóc Trăng Province, heavy rains and high tides have damaged  三0 –  五0 per cent of about  四,000ha of ripe rice in Trần Đề, Long Phú and Mỹ Xuyên districts.

High tides have entered sugarcane fields, fruit orchards and shrimp ponds in Sóc Trăng’s Cù Lao Dung District on Sunday.

High tides have also eroded  一 五 dykes and more than  一, 五00 metres of embankments in the islet district.

Lê Minh Đương, deputy chairman of the Cù Lao Dung People’s Co妹妹ittee, said high tides would continue to increase and break down other embankments in coming days, affecting agricultural production.

The Cù Lao Dung People’s Co妹妹ittee in co-operation with relevant agencies has prepared human forces and facilities to help local residents. 

In Cần Thơ City, high tides and heavy rains flooded more than  一00 streets in Ninh Kiều District on Sunday, according to the district People’s Co妹妹ittee.

The ongoing high tides are expected to increase until October  一 九.  

Nguyễn Quí Ninh, head of the city’s Steering Co妹妹ittee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said the steering co妹妹ittee’s branches at all levels have worked around the clock to solve emergency cases related to natural disasters and to operate high-tide prevention sluices.

The branches have helped move people out of deeply inundated areas and erosion-prone areas, and consolidated dykes and embankments to prevent high tide water from flowing into fruit orchards and aquatic farming areas. – VNS