Vietnam: Mekong Delta region faces water shortages, saline intrusion

A dried up rice field due to the drought in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre. The Delta region faces the risk of water shortages, drought and saline intrusion. - Vietnam News/ANN

HO CHI MINH CITY, Oct 18 (Vietnam News/ANN): The Cuu Long (Mekong Delta) region faces the risk of water shortages, drought and saline intrusion due to low water sources from the upper Mekong River and human exploitation of land and forests in the upstream, experts have warned.

Speaking at a meeting last week, Prof. Dr. Chau Nguyen Xuan Quang, deputy director of the Institute of Environment and Natural Resources under the Vietnam National University in HCM City, said that water levels in rivers had followed a downward trend in recent years.