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

Ho Chi Minh 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.

Rice fields flattened by heavy rains in Sóc Trăng Province. – VNA/VNS Photo Chanh Đa

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 14,600ha of summer – autumn rice, including 14,280ha in Trần Văn Thời District, according to the province’s Steering Committee 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 Committee, said the district’s Military Command had mobilised more than 1,000 soldiers and commune-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 521ha of ripe rice fields and 304 ha of fruits, according to the province’s Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue.

The 521ha of ripe rice fields are estimated to have a harvest loss of 5 – 40 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 2,800 houses, 115 schools and 74 km of rural roads.  

More than 4,620ha of rice and 3,560ha 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 30 – 50 per cent of about 4,000ha 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 15 dykes and more than 1,500 metres of embankments in the islet district.

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

The Cù Lao Dung People’s Committee 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 100 streets in Ninh Kiều District on Sunday, according to the district People’s Committee.

The ongoing high tides are expected to increase until October 19.  

Nguyễn Quí Ninh, head of the city’s Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said the steering committee’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.