The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has provided a written response to Tien Giang Province’s request for measures to secure fresh water for Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region in the years to come following the commencement of Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal project in early August.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies with assessing the impacts of the project, the agriculture ministry said.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development already initiated studies to evaluate the potential effects of the Funan Techo Canal project on livelihoods and agricultural production in the Mekong Delta.

However, due to limited data regarding the project, preliminary research results are still at a basic and short-term level, the agriculture ministry elaborated.

The ministry is guiding Mekong Delta provinces to implement the key points of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 36/2022, which focuses on ensuring water security and dam and reservoir safety through 2030, with a long-term vision to 2045.

The resolution includes specific goals, tasks, and strategies to safeguard water security, particularly internal water sources, in order to mitigate negative impacts from increased water use by upstream Mekong River countries.

The ministry is also drafting a water resource management plan for the Mekong Delta as part of the broader disaster prevention and irrigation strategy for the 2021-30 period, with a vision toward 2050.

The potential impacts of the Funan Techo Canal project will be taken into account in the plan.

The ministry has also been working with other ministries, agencies, and local authorities to develop a comprehensive scheme aimed at tackling land subsidence, river and coastal erosion, flooding, drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta.

This scheme was scheduled to be submitted to PM Chinh by September this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will maintain their collaboration to gather more data on the Funan Techo Canal project so as to make a more thorough assessment and work out more effective and sustainable solutions.

The agriculture ministry will report the outcomes of the tasks to PM Chinh to ensure timely guidance and implementation of necessary measures to secure fresh water for the Mekong Delta region in the coming years.

The ministry urged National Assembly deputies in Tien Giang to propose the provincial administration to execute the goals and tasks outlined in Resolution No. 36/2022 to help secure fresh water resources for the province and the delta.

On August 5, Cambodia held a groundbreaking ceremony for the US$1.7-billion canal project, with the attendance of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his spouse Pich Chanmony, along with many high-ranking Cambodian leaders and international guests.

The event was held in Prek Takeo Village, Samrong Thom Commune, Kean Svay District, Kandal Province, which is the starting point of the future canal, about 35 kilometers from central Phnom Penh.

The canal is designed to be 180 kilometers long, with a width of 100 meters upstream, 80 meters downstream, and a depth of 5.4 meters.

It will be capable of accommodating ships with a load capacity of 1,000-3,000 metric tons.

The canal will connect Phnom Penh’s river port to the Gulf of Thailand, passing through the provinces of Kandal, Takeo, Kampot, and Kep.

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