Feature: Bolstering "water diplomacy" essential in tackling drought in Mekong sub-region: expert

Since late 2015, countries along the Lancang-Mekong River have been suffering droughts of varying degrees due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon which threatens people's livelihoods.

In Vietnam, several parts of the country have been facing the most severe droughts and saline intrusion seen in decades, local state media reported.

In the country's southern Mekong Delta, the drought and decrease in groundwater levels have resulted in the most extensive saltwater intrusion in 90 years, the worst since record keeping began.

While saltwater intrusion is an annual phenomenon, this year it started nearly two months earlier than normal and has penetrated an average of 20 km to 30 km further inland, according to a joint rapid assessment undertaken by the Vietnamese government, United Nations and non-governmental organizations in March.

Over the past days, it has rained in the Central Highlands, south central and southern Mekong Delta region, partially easing the drought and saline intrusion situation.

However, the consequences of the natural catastrophe remain serious.

As of May 20, in the Central Highlands, south

central and southern Mekong Delta regions in Vietnam, as

many as 288,300 households were short of water, while 249,900 hectares of rice, 19,000 hectares of vegetables, 30,500 hectares of fruit trees, 149,700 hectares of industrial trees and 6,900 hectares of aquaculture were damaged.

Total damages were estimated to cost around 15.2 trillion Vietnamese dong (more than 681.6 million U.S. dollars), according to Vietnam's General Statistics Office.

Le Anh Tuan, Associate Professor and Doctor in Earth Sciences, and Deputy Director of the Research Institute for Climate Change connected to the Can Tho University in Vietnam's southern Mekong Delta, told Xinhua in a written statement that amid the recent serious drought and saline intrusion situation, Vietnamese farmers in coastal areas are trying to exploit more groundwater.

In other localities, fresh water is being transferred from upstream to downstream provinces, Tuan said.

At the same time, measures on economical use of water are being proposed, the expert added, saying, "these are short-term solutions to combat the situation temporarily."

For longer-term solutions, Tuan said, "Vietnam's Mekong Delta will have its agricultural structure adjusted and suitable measures on water usage will be chosen. It may include reducing rice cultivation, and growing water-saving plants."

"Those areas with saline intrusion will develop a cultivation model of growing rice and shrimp, or forests and shrimp together. In addition, in the delta, natural water storage areas will be expanded to deal with similar drought situations in the future," the expert proposed.

Moreover, irrigation works which are small in scale, maneuverable and easy to operate, including mobile pumping stations, seasonal sewers and dams, should be promoted. Large-scale irrigation systems, meanwhile, should be adjusted to become multi-purpose, Tuan explained.

"Monitoring and early warning systems of natural disasters and extreme weather also need to be strengthened, while water supply projects in

rural areas need to be further enhanced," the expert recommended.

Concerning cooperation mechanism in the Mekong sub-region for effective use of Mekong river water, Tuan said, "water diplomacy should be further bolstered in the Mekong region."

"During diplomacy efforts and talks, the responsibility of benefits and risk sharing in the use of Mekong river water should be fostered," Tuan said.

There are various cooperation mechanisms among Mekong countries themselves and Mekong countries with outsiders. However, the Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism (LMC) is one which connects all countries along the river.

The LMC, proposed by China in 2014, focuses on security and development, as well as political, social and cultural fields.

Interconnectivity, production capacity, cross-border economics, water resources, agriculture and poverty alleviation, are five priority directions for cooperation.

Speaking at the first LMC leaders' meeting held in China's Hainan province in March, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh highlighted the significance of the meeting as being the first time all six countries along the Mekong River met to discuss joint efforts for sustainable development in the Mekong sub-region.

Minh underscored the need for the LMC to harmoniously coordinate with other cooperation mechanisms and frameworks, especially the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and the Mekong River Commission (MRC).

The Mekong River originates in China and runs through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Along the Chinese stretch the river is known as Lancang.

Ahead of the LMC meeting, China had, in magnanimous move, released water from its hydropower station in the southwest Yunnan province, to alleviate the severe drought in Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, since mid-March, which was welcomed by the lower reaches of the Mekong River. Enditem