VNExpress-June 8
Rising saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta threatens the survival of its signature crops, like the king of fruits durian, jeopardizing the region’s agricultural heritage and livelihoods, experts have said. “Saltwater is penetrating deeper, and durian and rambutan are among the fruit trees least tolerant to salinity in the Mekong Delta region,” said Dao Phu Quoc, director of the Center for Sustainable Development and Biodiversity under the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.
The delta is the largest fruit basket of Vietnam, with over 20,000 hectares of durian, mainly grown in Tien Giang Province, 8,061 hectares of rambutan, and nearly 23,500 hectares of grapefruit. Over time, farmers have abandoned thousands of hectares of jackfruit and rice to switch to durian cultivation, rapidly increasing the area of this crop, Quoc told an international workshop on sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region organized by the HCMC University of Law on Friday.
Quoc said among the fruits currently cultivated in the region, durian has the lowest salinity tolerance, followed by rambutan, oranges, and grapefruits. The salinity tolerance threshold for durian is about 0.64 parts per thousand, meaning each liter of water contains 0.64 grams of salt; and the threshold for rambutan is 1.28 parts per thousand. The water at the river mouths has been contaminated with up to 4 parts per thousand of salt, meaning each liter of water contains up to 4 grams of salt, during the dry season in recent years. Over the years, the extent of saltwater intrusion has increased and the contamination has become more severe. According to a study by the Institute of Water Resources Science under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, four sectors of rice, aquaculture, fruits, and vegetables of the Mekong Delta suffered damage of more than VND70 trillion (US$2.96 billion) annually from 2020-2023 due to salt intrusion. The study highlighted that 29% of the damage affects the fruit sector, 27% impacts vegetables and flowers, and 14% pertains to rice cultivation. Aquaculture bears the brunt of the losses, accounting for 30% of the damage, approximately VND21 trillion. In the past ten years, the Mekong Delta has experienced two major saltwater intrusion events. Read more at:
