Saturday, 14 December 2024
Home Topics Industry Agriculture Vietnam faces $3bn annual crop losses from rising saltwater levels
AgricultureBiodiversityClimateEnvironmentNews

Vietnam faces $3bn annual crop losses from rising saltwater levels

53
Vietnam's Mekong Delta provides food and livelihoods for tens of millions of people. The country faces $3bn annual crop losses from rising saltwater levels.

Vietnam faces nearly $3 billion a year in crop losses as more saltwater seeps into arable land, state media reported, citing new research.

The damage would likely centre on the Mekong Delta region, known as “Vietnam’s rice bowl” because it provides food and livelihoods for tens of millions of people, research from the country’s environment ministry showed.

Saltwater levels are often higher in the dry season but they are intensifying due to rising sea levels, droughts, tidal fluctuations, and a lack of upstream freshwater.

The resulting crop losses could amount to 70 trillion dong ($2.94 billion), state media VnExpress reported, citing new research from the Water Resources Science Institute, which is under the environment ministry.

The research found among the most impacted parts of the region would be the southernmost Ca Mau province, which could lose an estimated $665 million.

Ben Tre province could face roughly $472 million in losses, according to the study, which was presented Friday at a conference on water resource management.

“With the current scenario, fruit trees account for 29 percent of the damage in Mekong Delta, while crops account for 27 percent, and rice accounts for nearly 14 percent,” according to the findings.

“The fisheries industry accounts for 30 percent, equivalent to more than 21,000 billion dong ($840 million),” it added.

Greater losses were forecast for the region in the future, rising over $3.1 billion, the study said.

Earlier this month, the Department of Water Resources warned saline intrusion could impact around 80,000 hectares of rice and fruit farms in the Mekong Delta.

Salt intrusion in the area between 2023-2024 was higher than the average, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The delta suffered an unusually long heatwave in February, leading to drought in several areas and low water levels in the region’s canals.

Related Articles

FILE - Visitors look at manatees at the Tampa Electric Company Manatee Viewing Center near the coal-fired Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Center volunteers estimate that over 1,000 of the gentle creatures are enjoying the warm water that gets discharged from the power plant. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
ClimateCourtsEmissionsPolitics

Young activists take on a government agency in a Florida climate lawsuit

The case is one in a string of lawsuits filed by kids...

ClimateClimate FinanceEnvironmentPoliticsUnited Nations

UN talks fail to reach agreement on dealing with rising risk of global drought

5 billion people could be affected by drying lands by the end...

FILE PHOTO: The logo of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) is seen at its booth during the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China September 1, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
BusinessFuelNatural GasOil

China’s CNOOC sells US assets to Britain’s INEOS

The deal primarily includes non-operator interests in oil and gas projects such...

FILE PHOTO: Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic looks on during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, November 6, 2024. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic/File Photo
FuelOilPoliticsTrade

US mulls sanctions against Serbian oil firm majority owned by Russians, president says

UK and EU sanctions would likely follow, affecting oil shipments through a...

Login into your Account

Please login to like, dislike or bookmark this article.