Mekong Delta’s city hit by saltwater intrusion in rivers
Can Tho is the latest to fall to the relentless flow of seawater into Mekong Delta rivers. The city is nearly 100 kilometer from the sea.
A saline meter used at Cai Cui port in Cai Rang District on Wednesday read 3,500 parts per thousand (ppt), according to the Can Tho Meteorological and Hydrological station.
The water normally has salt content of less than 250 ppt. Seawater flowing up the Hau River, a branch of the Mekong, has contaminated inner-city canals too.
Over 70,000 hectares of winter-spring rice is being harvested in the city now. There are also 2,100 ha of orchards and almost 2,000 ha of vegetables, according to Nguyen Ngoc He, director of the city Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Cuu Long
