Proactively respond to drought and salinity
During the drought and salinity season, when freshwater resources in Mang Thit district, Vinh Long province are affected by salinity intrusion, aquaculture ponds have become an effective solution to help farmers store freshwater.
Always worried every time the drought and salinity come, Ms. Bui Thi Ut Nho - Chanh An commune, Mang Thit district - said that her family is currently taking advantage of the old pangasius pond with an area of over 1,000m2 to build a freshwater tank.
According to Ms. Ut Nho, with a pond area of over 1,000m2, the family can store a large amount of water, enough to meet the need to irrigate more than 1 hectare of durian and live during times of shortage of fresh water due to drought and salinity.
Thanks to using fish ponds to store water, the family can maintain stable production during the dry months and be ready to support surrounding households when they lack fresh water to water the plants, said Ms. Ut Nho.
Also thanks to the freshwater reserve in the pangasius pond of more than 700m2, Mr. Tran Thanh Binh is confident in producing 0.5 hectares of durian that is bearing fruit for the third year.
"Previously, saltwater suddenly entered the country, unable to react and used that water to water durian, leading to fire, causing severe damage. But now that there is a daily salinity warning system, I have proactively stored fresh water, so I am very assured in production," Mr. Binh added.
Efforts to prevent drought and salinity
Talking to Lao Dong, Mr. Le Minh Tu - Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Chanh An commune, Mang Thit district - said that durian growing households in the commune have all deployed a freshwater storage system.Thanks to that, they maintain irrigation, protect crops and ensure yields.
"Farm households store water in many large and small ponds.The amount of water reserved can water the plants for 5 - 15 days, even 2 - 3 months for households with large ponds," said Mr. Tu.
At the district level, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Mang Thit district - said that the whole district has installed 3 daily salinity monitoring stations. These stations monitor the level of salinity intrusion, providing timely information to farmers.
Mr. Nam added that the construction of culverts, dykes and salinity notification systems has been effective, Mang Thit district has not recorded any damage due to drought and salinity. The district continues to coordinate with localities to inspect the irrigation system and promptly fix it to reduce damage to the people.
"Currently, there is a plan to implement 14 in-field irrigation works, dredging canals and ditches to store fresh water when the salinity is high. It is expected that the projects will be put into use in 2025, protecting more than 1,000 hectares of production area, said Mr. Nam.
