Salinisation in the Mekong River Delta is becoming more and more severe.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked provinces in the Mekong River Delta to step up their efforts to curb drought and salinisation, which are seriously affecting agriculture, aquafarming and domestic water use in the region.

He noted that these were disasters and should be dealt with in a timely manner so that they would not harm the lives of local residents.

Deputy PM Phuc said local authorities should be aware of the severity of these issues and called for an increase in funding and higher priority for infrastructure projects designed to ward off salinisation.

He also asked relevant agencies to work out radical measures to proactively cope with increasingly serious impacts of climate change and consider growing crops suitable with brackish and saline water to replace rice.

According to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat, rainfall in 2015 was 20-50% less than the average as a result of El Nino, which delayed and shortened the rainy season.

The water levels in the upper reaches of the Mekong River continue to fall and are currently at the lowest level in 90 years.

Due to the shortage of freshwater, the intrusion of saline water has come two months in advance and is projected to end one month later than previous years.

Minister Phat warned that the Mekong River Delta would be one of the hardest hit areas by climate change in the coming years.

(Source: NDO)