Highlights: Vietnam: salinization of fresh water sources causes “serious” shortage in the south of the country. Seawater infiltration into groundwater and surface water has seriously affected crops and access to drinking water for thousands of households out of the area's 43,000 inhabitants. A state of emergency has been declared over drinking water shortages in Tan Phu Dong district. Some 80,000 hectares of rice fields and orchards could be affected by the phenomenon, according to a study by the Scientific Institute of Water Resources.

Thousands of Vietnamese are facing a “serious” shortage of drinking water due to a drought and the salinization of fresh water sources, leading authorities in a province…

Vietnam: salinization of fresh water sources causes “serious” shortage in the south of the country

Thousands of Vietnamese are facing a “severe” shortage of drinking water due to a drought and salinization of fresh water sources, leading authorities in a southern province to declare a state of emergency. emergency Saturday.

A Vietnamese farmer in a rice field experiencing a severe drought in February 2024 in southern Vietnam (illustrative image). AFP - TAN DIEN

By: RFI with AFP

The Tan Phu Dong district in the southern province of Tien Giang, located in the Mekong River delta some 60 km south of the economic capital Ho Chi Minh, is particularly affected. Seawater infiltration into groundwater and surface water has seriously affected crops and access to drinking water for thousands of households out of the area's 43,000 inhabitants, the agency reported. official VNA press release.

Also readVietnam: why is salt water rising in the fields?

A state of emergency has been declared over drinking water shortages in Tan Phu Dong district and government agencies are called upon to "

supply ponds and reservoirs with fresh water to ensure water supply to residents

", the VNA said.

Abnormally long heatwave

For more than a month, the south of

Vietnam

has been facing an abnormally long heatwave with, as a consequence, the worsening of seawater infiltration in the Mekong Delta, a recurring phenomenon during the dry season, but which increases under the effect of heat and rising sea levels.

A study published in March shows that seawater infiltration into the arable land of the Mekong Delta, a region that feeds tens of millions of inhabitants, represents an annual shortfall of three billion dollars (2.7 billion euros) due to degraded harvests.

Some 80,000 hectares of rice fields and orchards could be affected by the phenomenon, according to this study by the Scientific Institute of Water Resources, dependent on the Ministry of the Environment. In 2016, during the most serious drought recorded in 100 years, 160,000 hectares were affected.

Vietnam: salinization of fresh water sources causes “serious” shortage in the south of the country

Vietnam: salinization of fresh water sources causes “serious” shortage in the south of the country

Abnormally long heatwave

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