Kenh Lap, the largest manmade freshwater reservoir in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, has become saline with a salinity level of 0.7 parts per thousand.

The salinity may increase if it is still hot in the coming days.

Pham Quoc Phong, director of Ben Tre Irrigational Works Management and Exploitation Company, which manages Kenh Lap Reservoir in Ba Tri District, Ben Tre Province, southern Vietnam, explained that the salinity of the reservoir is low when water is pumped into it.

The salinity increases as water evaporates.

Water is pumped regularly into the reservoir from the Ba Lai River and nearby canals to prevent pollution, Phong noted.

As Ba Tri District is close to the sea, the salinity of  0.7 parts per thousand is considered low.

Truong Van Ton, a resident living near the Kenh Lap Reservoir, said water in local canals has a salinity level of over a thousandth, so he cannot use the water to irrigate his vegetable garden.

But his house is near the reservoir, so his garden can overcome the drought and salinity season, Ton added.

A local water treatment plant also treats water from the reservoir and supply clean water to over 3,800 local houses with a capacity of some 5,000 cubic meters per day.

Work on the Kenh Lap Reservoir with a capacity of over 800,000 cubic meters started in 2017 to serve 200,000 residents in 24 communes and towns in Ba Tri District.

The reservoir carries a price tag of VND85 billion (US$3.4 million) and was put into use in August 2019.

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