Prime Minister requests response to risks of drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion

On January 15, 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed and issued Official Dispatch No. 04/CD-TTg on proactively responding to the risk of drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion.

The dispatch stated that due to the impact of climate change and the influence of the El Nino phenomenon, weather and natural disasters are increasingly unusual. Currently, saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta is tending to increase with the high tide period. According to the assessment of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in the dry season of 2023 - 2024, saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta is at a higher level than the average of many years, equivalent to 2020 - 2021, during the peak period (around February - April 2024), there may be local shortages of fresh water, saline intrusion deep into river mouths; in the Central and Central Highlands regions, there may also be droughts and local shortages of fresh water, affecting production and people's lives in the dry season.

Kenh Lau saltwater prevention sluice, Hoa Tien commune, Vi Thanh city, Hau Giang province. Photo: Duy Khuong/VNA

To proactively respond to the risk of drought, local water shortages, and saltwater intrusion, the Prime Minister requested Ministers and Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to monitor and proactively deploy response work to the risk of drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion in the peak months of the upcoming dry season, focusing on the following specific tasks:

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment directs to closely monitor the impact of El Nino, weather developments, water resources, promptly provide information on the situation, short-term and long-term forecasts on hydrology, water resources, risks of drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion across the country, especially in the Mekong Delta and the Central and Central Highlands regions so that authorities, localities and people know and proactively implement measures to prevent and respond to the risks of drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion, resolutely not to let things happen passively or unexpectedly.

Organize the collection of information on water resources, the operation and regulation of hydroelectric reservoirs outside Vietnam's territory, and the exploitation and use of water by countries upstream of transboundary rivers to serve the work of forecasting water resources, the risk of water shortages in some large reservoirs in the North and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall closely monitor developments and make specialized forecasts on water resources, water quality and risks of water shortages and saltwater intrusion to provide information to localities and people; at the same time, proactively direct the implementation of work to prevent, combat and overcome the consequences of drought, water shortages and saltwater intrusion in accordance with actual developments at each time and each region; direct and guide localities to organize production to limit impacts on agricultural production, especially during peak periods when droughts and saltwater intrusion often occur.

Coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant provincial People's Committees to direct the flexible and effective operation of irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs and irrigation systems to exploit and use water resources effectively and optimally, ensuring water for daily life and agricultural production as well as for power generation, especially during peak hot periods.

Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities, especially those in the Mekong Delta, the Central region and the Central Highlands, closely monitor weather developments, hydrometeorological forecasts, droughts and saltwater intrusion; determine the level of impact on each locality to proactively deploy specific response measures according to the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and in accordance with the actual situation in the locality, including guiding people to use water economically and effectively, prioritizing the supply of domestic water for people, medical and educational facilities and other essential needs, resolutely not letting people lack domestic water.

Other ministries and branches, according to their assigned state management functions, shall proactively direct, coordinate, and support localities in responding to and overcoming drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion, ensuring people's lives.

The Government Office monitors and urges according to assigned functions and tasks.

According to VNA/Newspaper

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