Mekong Delta struggles to save summer autumn rice

Floodwater has been raising slowly but at high level, threatening rice and vegetable crops in the Mekong Delta. Therefore local authorities and farmers have been struggling to protect their crops by fortifying dykes and harvesting young rice.

Mr. Ngo Van Hong cuts young rice to avoid surging floodwater in Vinh Dai commune, Vinh Hung district, Long An province (Photo: SGGP)

The Steering Board on Natural Disasters, Search and Rescue in Long An province says that flood level in Dong Thap Muoi districts is slowly surging but it has been high.

Tân Hưng district reported that 3,485 hectares of summer autumn rice have been damaged because of floodwater. This year, the district sowed 28,500 hectares and so far have harvested 17,000 hectares. Most of the remaining area will be ready for harvest in the next 10 days.

Floodwater has also affected 5,913 hectares of rice in Moc Hoa district. Vinh Hung district sowed 28,419 hectares, of which 1,575 hectares have been reaped and the remaining area will ripen at the end of August. Flood is threatening 7,836 hectares.

According to the People’s Committee in Tan Chau town, An Giang province, the town has 178.4 kilometers of 36 dyke routes protecting 11,000 hectares of rice. Of these, five out of nine vulnerable routes have been fortified. Long lasting heavy rain has submerged and damaged 610 hectares of rice of 837 households.

Mr. Le Khuong Binh, director of the meteorological station in Dong Thap province, said that floodwater has quickly surged for the last ten days. It increases 10 centimeters a day in the upper reaches of the Cuu Long River and 6-8 centimeters in Dong Thap Muoi area in the lower reaches.

He forecasts that the Mekong Delta might see a big flooding season this year and prompted localities in low lying areas to harvest their crops and mobilize forces to consolidate dykes.