Vietnam Net Bridge
11 October 2015
The drought in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta continues to severely affect farms and households in the region, causing water shortages for thousands of families in the provinces of Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang and Can Tho City. The most seriously affected are families who farm fish.
Duong Van Teo, who raises about 30,000 fish in Tan Hung District in Long An Province, said that every year, the annual flooding season brought enough freshwater fish, which he used to feed his farmed fish.
“But there has been a shortage of freshwater. In the last two months, I have had to buy seawater fish to feed my fish, which has increased my costs two or three times,” he said.
The annual floods bring rich alluvia, which provides fertiliser for farmers. Lieu Trung Nguon, deputy director of Long An Province’s Agriculture and Rural Development, said with less freshwater and alluvia, farmers must spend more on pesticides and fertilisers.
At Cham Chim National Park in Tam Nong District in Dong Thap Province, there has been less freshwater this year compared to last year.