A durian farm in Tiền Giang Province's Cai Lậy District. The province is focusing on protecting its fruit orchards from salt intrusion. — VNA/VNS Photo

TIỀN GIANG — The Mekong Delta Province of Tiền Giang has been working hard to prevent saltwater intrusion up rivers to protect its orchards during the ongoing dry season, including over 20,000ha of durian grown for export.

Nguyễn Văn Mẫn, director of its Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, said the province already built two key western irrigation structures at a cost of over VNĐ1.38 trillion (US$55.9 million) at the beginning of the dry season in 2023-24.

One of them comprises six saltwater prevention sluices in canals leading to the Tiền River and Provincial Road 864 that form a dyke.

The other is also a dyke along the Tiền and the Nguyễn Tấn Thành Culvert.

The irrigation infrastructure works will prevent saline intrusion, store freshwater for nearly 100,000ha of agricultural land and provide drinking water for nearly 1.1 million people in Tiền Giang and Long An provinces.

The department said farmers should keep a close eye on water quality and levels and salinity in canals and in fields.

The province also wants fruit farmers in places with challenging conditions to spread out their harvests in order not to be impacted by natural factors.

Trần Quốc Bình, chairman of the Cai Lậy District People’s Committee, said there are 11,000ha of orchards locally, mainly with high-value durian that is exported.

Nguyễn Hồng Thương, chairman of the Ngũ Hiệp Commune People’s Committee, said his commune spent over VNĐ7 billion to build five temporary dams, dredged canals, repaired sluice gates to keep out saltwater, and stored water to irrigate nearly 1,500ha of durian and other fruits.

Trần Văn Nhịn, the Tân Phong Commune People’s Committee chairman, said 16 dams were built to keep out saltwater and rising tides at a cost of nearly VNĐ15 billion to protect 1,300ha of orchards.

Eight back-up wells will be used to supplement irrigation if the Tiền River becomes saline or if farmers otherwise lack water.

Farmers are encouraged to dredge ponds and ditches to store freshwater for irrigation and apply farming methods to cope with the salinity.

Nguyễn Văn Thật, deputy chairman of the Tam Bình Commune People's Committee, said nearly 3,000m of two canals have been dredged to store water for irrigation. The locality has also reinforced sluice gates and repaired damaged ones.

Nguyễn Đức Thịnh, head of the province’s Irrigation and Flood and Storm Prevention Sub-department, said five tides and deep saline intrusion are forecast between March and August.

Saltwater will flow in two directions, up the Tiền and Hàm Luông, threatening high-value export durian in western districts.

The province is setting up salt measurement points in the Tiền River and its distributaries to ensure the safety of speciality orchards.

It plans to dredge three steel dams at the beginning of the Trà Sơn, An Rày and Phú An rivers which flow into the Tiền River if the tides and saltwater intrusion become severe in the next few days. — VNS