According to information from the People's Committee of Dong Thap province, with the forecast of saltwater intrusion in the dry season 2025-2026, it is likely to affect production in the Go Cong sweetening project area, the Bao Dinh project area expanded to flood control areas, as well as the area of fruit orchards in the southwestern communes and wards of Dong Thap province. In particular, fresh water shortages may occur, affecting the lives of people in the localities at the end of the source.
Faced with the above situation, Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee has developed a plan to respond to drought and saltwater intrusion in the dry season 2025-2026 in the province.
Accordingly, for the Go Cong sweetening project area, when a salinity of over 250 mg/liter appears in the Lac Hong Park area, My Tho ward (My Tho Water Plant stops operating), 10 backup drilling wells will be opened to focus on regulating the water source of Dong Tam Water Plant to supply to 18 communes and wards in the East of Dong Thap province.
If a salinity of over 250 mg/liter appears in the area of Kim Son commune (and Nguyen Tan Thanh canal), 12 backup wells will be opened and pumped to replenish fresh water from the Sau Au - Xoai Hot canal, ensuring sufficient raw water to serve domestic water production at two plants (Dong Tam Water Plant and Binh Duc Water Plant), meeting the water needs of people. At the same time, open public water taps from water supply stations for people in deep-lying communes, outside dikes, households living scattered, not yet using water from the centralized water supply system, to come to get water for free (opening time as requested by the locality).
For the Phu Thanh - Phu Dong project area, public water taps will be opened from water supply stations and public water tanks will be arranged to serve people living in deep areas, outside dikes and dispersed households who have not yet accessed water sources from the centralized water supply system (opening time as requested by the locality).
Regarding the Bao Dinh project area expanded to the flood control area, in case the Nguyen Tan Thanh sluice gate and the sluice gates on Provincial Road 864 are closed to prevent saltwater intrusion, the surface water source on the Nguyen Tan Thanh canal and Ba Rai River is polluted, Vinh Kim surface water plants and Cai Lay town water plants cannot get water for production, they will open 1 drilled well at Vinh Kim Water Supply Station and 1 backup drilled well at Cai Lay town water plant (My Phuoc ward) to maintain water supply operations.
In case saltwater intrusion from the Ham Luong River affects the surface water source serving daily life at Cai Be Surface Water Plant (when the salinity of the water source exceeds 250 mg/liter, exceeding the permitted standard), a backup drilling well will be opened and operated in combination with the operation of an existing drilling well at Cai Be Surface Water Plant to supply water to people.
According to the Southern Institute of Irrigation Science, the forecast for the highest salinity period in 2026 is concentrated in the period from the end of February to April, with a salinity limit of 4 g/l penetrating from 40–55 km from the river mouth.
