Prime Minister directs to strengthen prevention and control of heat, drought, and saltwater intrusion

Closely monitor the situation and promptly deploy response solutions.

The directive stated: Due to the influence of El Nino, since the beginning of the year, rainfall in many regions across the country has been lacking, high temperatures, prolonged heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion have occurred in some localities, especially in the Mekong Delta and the Central and Central Highlands regions.

According to forecasts from specialized agencies under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the coming time, the average temperature will tend to be higher than the average of many years, especially in the summer; heat waves are likely to continue to appear more frequently and more severely than the average of many years. The flood season in the North is unlikely to come early, the flow to large reservoirs on the Da River may be 30-40% lower than the average of many years. There is a risk of continued heat waves, drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion, especially in the Central and Southern regions.

To limit damage to production and business, affecting people's lives, the Prime Minister requested Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities, Ministers and Heads of relevant agencies to closely monitor the situation, strengthen direction and implementation of timely and effective response solutions to natural disasters and extreme weather, especially heat, drought and saltwater intrusion.

Accordingly, the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, especially localities in the Central region and the Mekong Delta, direct local authorities to closely monitor developments and forecasts on weather, meteorology, hydrology, water resources, and saltwater intrusion; inventory and grasp information on water resources in the area to update plans and strategies for preventing and combating heat waves, droughts, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion in the locality in accordance with water source scenarios; organize propaganda and instruct people to proactively and flexibly store fresh water, use water economically and effectively, and thoroughly prevent loss and waste of fresh water resources.

Localities must comply with the direction and guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant ministries and branches to promptly and effectively implement solutions to prevent and combat heat waves, drought, water shortages and saltwater intrusion. In case of water shortages that cannot meet the needs of use, priority must be given to providing enough water for daily life, irrigation of perennial crops with high economic value and other essential needs; effectively operate irrigation systems and works to get water, proactively store water to ensure meeting the minimum demand for irrigation water for crops when there is a water shortage, and limit damage to production and business, especially agricultural production.

Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, especially localities in the Central region and the Mekong Delta, direct local authorities to identify areas at risk of domestic water shortages to proactively organize and implement solutions to ensure domestic water supply for people, not to let people lack domestic water, and if necessary, mobilize forces and means of water transportation to supply to people.

Localities proactively dredge canals and reservoirs that have been silted up to restore and increase water storage capacity, combined with the recovery of construction materials according to the provisions of law; review and assess the water intake capacity of irrigation works, especially along rivers where water levels are falling and saltwater intrusion is increasing, to proactively deploy appropriate adaptation solutions. At the same time, allocate local budgets to implement solutions to prevent and combat drought and saltwater intrusion; prioritize funding to accelerate the progress of investment in construction, repair and upgrading of works serving water supply and control of water resources, especially centralized domestic water supply works, water intake works along rivers and freshwater reservoirs.

Early forecasting, ensuring reliability of weather conditions

The Prime Minister requested the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to proactively and promptly organize specialized monitoring and forecasting of water resources and saltwater intrusion, provide information to localities and people in affected areas; proactively direct, guide and urge localities to deploy appropriate and effective response measures to reduce damage caused by drought and saltwater intrusion; direct and urge to accelerate the progress of irrigation works and rural water supply works under construction to put them into operation soon and promote their effectiveness; direct the effective operation of irrigation systems to coordinate water resources, best meet the water needs of water users according to water resources capacity; modernize, optimize operation, and effectively exploit irrigation works, preventing water loss and waste.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries, branches and localities to review and assess the impact of the decline in water levels on inter-provincial rivers on the water intake capacity of irrigation works in order to find solutions to overcome and ensure the operation of irrigation works. In addition, synthesize and report on the situation of drought, water shortage and saltwater intrusion in localities, proactively coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies to review, propose and report to the Prime Minister to promptly support localities in implementing drought and saltwater intrusion response work in accordance with the law.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment directs the monitoring and early forecasting, ensuring reliability of weather, hydrometeorology, heat waves, droughts, and saltwater intrusion, promptly providing information to localities and relevant agencies to proactively implement measures to prevent and combat droughts, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion.

The Ministry also presides over and coordinates with the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade and relevant agencies to urgently study and propose amendments to the inter-reservoir operation process in a flexible manner to exploit and use water resources effectively, ensuring water sources for production, daily life and power generation; coordinates and guides localities to properly implement legal regulations related to the use of salvaged materials when dredging canals and reservoirs, creating conditions for increased socialization of participation in implementation.

The Minister of Industry and Trade directed the Vietnam Electricity Group and hydropower reservoir owners to proactively coordinate with the competent agencies of the Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant localities to develop plans to operate hydropower reservoirs and mobilize appropriate electricity from hydropower plants to ensure domestic water, best meet other water needs, and at the same time effectively use water resources for power generation.

The Minister of Health directed relevant agencies to coordinate with media agencies and localities to increase dissemination and guidance to people on health protection measures, especially during prolonged hot days.

The Minister of Construction shall coordinate with localities to direct the implementation of solutions to respond to the risk of domestic water shortage in assigned areas; proactively coordinate with localities and relevant agencies to research and implement plans to gradually proactively provide domestic water to people in areas that frequently experience water shortages and saltwater intrusion every year.

Ministers of the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Investment, according to their assigned functions, shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant agencies to promptly synthesize, find sources, and propose to the Prime Minister for consideration and financial support to implement measures to prevent and combat drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion according to regulations.

The Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television, Vietnam News Agency, Nhan Dan Newspaper and other media and press agencies continue to do a good job of communication, reporting promptly and accurately on the situation of heat, drought, and saltwater intrusion, raising people's awareness in saving electricity and water and creating the strength of the entire people in preventing and fighting heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion.

The Government Office monitors and urges the implementation of this Directive according to its assigned functions and tasks.