The Kinh Nhánh Sluice keeps out saltwater and stores freshwater for irrigation and household use in Rạch Giá City and the Long Xuyên Quadrangle in Kiên Giang Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Huy Hải

KIÊN GIANG — More than 30,200 households in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang are expected to face a shortage of water for daily use caused by saltwater intrusion into rivers during the ongoing dry season.

They are mostly in the districts of An Minh, An Biên, Kiên Lương, U Minh Thượng, and Giang Thành, and on some islands in Kiên Hải District, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The coastal province normally suffers saltwater intrusion between December and April, which also affects agriculture.

But the department effectively manages sluices and dams to minimise the phenomenon and store freshwater.

They include the Ba Hòn sluice in combination with a dam on the Rạch Giá-Hà Tiên Canal in Kiên Lương District.

It also proactively stores water in large reservoirs such as Đơn Dương in Phú Quốc City, Bãi Nhà in Kiên Hải District and others in some island communes.

It is speeding up construction of more reservoirs and will soon put them to use.

The province is also upgrading borewells and drilling new ones.

It is inspecting and repairing degraded pipes and installing new ones to supply water to households.

Local authorities are also checking households in rural and remote areas that lack tap water, and will provide them with free water containers and treatment chemicals to ensure there are no shortages.

Some 98 per cent of people living in rural areas now use water that meets hygiene standards. — VNS