VietNamNet Bridge – The Cai Lon – Cai Be irrigation project, which will connect the Cai Lon River to Cai Be River in the Mekong Delta region, faces opposition from scientists.

The Cai Lon – Cai Be irrigation project, which will connect the Cai Lon River to Cai Be River in the Mekong Delta region, faces opposition from scientists.—Photo vtv.vn

The project aims to control salinity, adapt to climate change, increase flood drainage, improve acid soil and develop waterway transport. It is expected to cost around VND3.3 trillion (US$145 million).

However, an independent Mekong Delta scientist group warned that it would cause “negative environmental consequences for a large region west of the Hau River, and is not necessary to build.”

Speaking at a conference held on September 7, Professor Le Anh Tuan from Can Tho University, a member of the group, said: “The biodiversity of the region would be fully destroyed.”

Nguyen Huu Thien, a Mekong Delta ecological independent expert, pointed out that the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment Report had not been completed.

“The Ministry of Planning and Investment is implementing the master plan for the Mekong Delta, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is building a new strategy to adapt to climate change. Why doesn’t the project wait for the new master plan and new strategy?” he asked.

Professor Nguyen Ngoc Tran, former head of the Steering Committee for Freshwater Research in Ca Mau peninsula, said: “We failed to bring freshwater for the Ca Mau peninsula and we did not identify the reason. We should not repeat the failure again with the Cai Lon – Cai Be irrigation project.”

“We are living in a land with a diverse ecosystem, but we are trying to simplify it. We have many different agricultural specialties, but we are only focusing on rice and shrimp,” he said.

Professor Nguyen Tat Dac from the Southern Institute of Water Resource Research said that the Ca Mau peninsula has more than 100 irrigation gates that play a significant role in the water cycle in the region.

“Irrigation gates at the Hau River from Soc Trang Province to Ca Mau Province are now full, and now it is important to properly operate the system to stop saline water and receive freshwater,” he said.

Local authorities of Hau Giang and Kien Giang provinces support the irrigation project because it is part of their development plan for the area.

Nguyen Van Dong, director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Hau Giang Province, said: “Hau Giang Province is poor because of a mixture between freshwater and saline water. We would like to stop the situation and have either all saline water or all fresh water.”

“We have been waiting for the project for 10 years,” he added.

Nguyen Hoang Thang, vice chairman of the Kien Giang Province’s People’s Council, said that in U Minh Thuong District, where the Cai Lon River runs, farmers have become prosperous after building dams to plant rice three months a year.

“I strongly believe that the project would bring prosperity for localities,” he said.

However, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang said the project would be implemented in “one of the most complicated localities in the world, which suffers the most from climate change.”

“The project would affect many areas, the environment, production, culture and society, so more time is needed to evaluate it,” he said. 

Source: VNS