Vietnam to splash out $15 mln in Mekong Delta drought fight
About VND350 billion ($15.16 million) would serve to combat drought and salt intrusion in five Mekong Delta provinces, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
The money, to be derived from multiple sources, would be awarded to Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Kien Giang and Ca Mau provinces, Phuc said in a Sunday meeting with local authorities.
All five provinces declared emergency drought states last week, with their salinity levels having surpassed the 2016 record.
Around 40,000 hectares in rice paddies have been damaged due to drought or salinity across the five provinces. Water shortages are also rampant, with 95,000 families without freshwater for daily activities, Soc Trang Province being the worst-hit with 24,000 affected families, said Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
An Nam
