Statistics from the Directorate of Fisheries showed that as of May 17, up to 81,400 hectares of shrimp farms in eight provinces of the Mekong Delta had been lost due to drought and salt water intrusion.
Ca Mau Province was the hardest hit with 52,500 hectares of shrimp farms lost, suffering about VND260bn (USD11.8m) in damage. The authorities in Ca Mau allocated VND86bn to help 36,000 farmers. Nearly VND18bn was also allocated for the irrigation system.
Due to the strong effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, this year’s temperatures in the Mekong Delta are 0.1-1.5 Celsius higher and rainfall is 30 percent to 50 percent lower than previous years. In some areas, rainfall has so far only reached 20 percent of the volume of previous years.
Ca Mau Province has been hardest hit
The severe drought and saltwater intrusion has occurred two months earlier and are predicted to last a month longer than normal.
Vu Van Tam, deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said local authorities must conduct a survey on the damage inflicted on different kinds of farming methods. Provinces that suffer the most including Ca Mau, Kien Giang and Bac Lieu are being obligated to send support teams to help the locals resume work.
The ministry will submit reports on the damages to the state president for support policies. Tam also warned local authorities to prepare and follow the La Nina weather phenomenon forecasts.
