President Truong Tan Sang is paying a working visit to the Mekong delta to inspect its efforts to cope with rising sea level.
Sang visited the Go Cong sea dyke in Tien Giang province on March 31.
The 21km sea dyke plays an important role in protecting the 54,400 ha Go
Cong fresh water zone that houses a 40,000 ha production area on which
thousands of locals are earning their living.
The Go Cong protective forest is considered an effective shield to protect the 21km dyke from saline water intrusion.
However, about 3km of the section from Vam Lang to Tan Thanh are totally damaged by salinity.
The President asked relevant agencies to speed up projects to prevent
salt-water intrusion and reinforce the sea dyke and irrigation systems
to serve production and human life.
He also toured the 28.6km Cho Gao canal which connects Tien Giang and Ho Chi Minh City and other Mekong delta provinces.
Earlier, on March 30, the President visited the Ba Tri sea dyke in Ben
Tre province which is forecast to be one of the localities that will be
hardest hit by climate change.
According to climate
change scenario, 272sq.km of agricultural land or 12.24 percent of Ben
Tre’s total area will be submerged if sea water rises 12cm.
The 31km sea dyke was built at an investment of 222 billion VND, of
which 146 billion VND was the World Bank’s loan, 58 billion VND came
from the State budget and the remainder from the local budget.
The President also toured the Ba Lai dam and sewage system, which are
being built to prevent salt-water intrusion in northern Ben Tre.
Sang urged the province to focus on coping with climate change and increasing the efficiency of investment sources.
The
President also said it is imperative to improve the existing sea dykes
and irrigation systems to boost agricultural development.
He
urged the province to take better care of social beneficiaries, and
continue reducing poverty and restructuring the local economy.-VNA