July Floods Did Not Affect Summer-Autumn and Autumn-Winter Crops

The provinces in the Mekong Delta are entering the 2024 flood season. Flooding in July is forecast to be low, not affecting rice production during the summer-autumn and autumn-winter seasons.

Flood situation in July

According to the Southern Irrigation Planning Institute, flood levels in the Mekong Delta in July are forecast to be low and trending upwards. By July 31st, flood levels on the main Mekong Delta river in the upstream area are forecast to reach a maximum of 2 meters at Tan Chau and 1.95 meters at Chau Doc. In the central Mekong Delta, flood levels are forecast to reach 1.45 meters at Can Tho and 1.37 meters at My Thuan.

Water levels in the upper Mekong Delta in July were mainly affected by upstream floods, high tides, and partly by local rainfall. The forecast indicates that the highest water levels at upstream stations will vary between 0.39 and 2.33 meters. Water levels tend to be higher in upstream areas along the main rivers, gradually decreasing towards downstream areas further from the main rivers and inland.

High water levels ranging from 1.13 to 2.33 meters are concentrated in An Giang province’s districts of An Phu, Tan Chau town, Chau Doc city, Phu Tan district, Long Xuyen city, and Tinh Bien district; and in Dong Thap province’s districts of Hong Nguy, Hong Nguy city, Tan Hong district, and Tam Nong district.

Water levels in the central Mekong Delta in July were mainly affected by upstream floods, high tides, and local rainfall. The forecast indicates that the highest water levels at stations in the central region will vary between 0.55 and 1.48 meters. Water levels tend to be higher in areas along the main rivers, gradually decreasing towards areas further from the main rivers and inland.

High water levels, ranging from 1.00 to 1.48 meters, are concentrated in Go Cong Dong district and My Tho city in Tien Giang province; Cho Lach, Chau Thanh districts and Ben Tre city in Ben Tre province; Cao Lanh and Lai Vung districts in Dong Thap province; Tam Binh, Vung Liem, and Tra On districts in Vinh Long province; Cang Long district in Tra Vinh province; districts in Can Tho city; Nga Bay city in Hau Giang province; and Long Phu district in Soc Trang province.

Also in July, inland water levels in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta were mainly affected by tides and local rainfall. The forecast indicates that the highest water levels at coastal stations will vary between 0.38 and 1.75 meters. Water levels tend to be higher in areas near the main river mouths and the eastern coast, gradually decreasing towards areas further from the main rivers, the western coast, and inland.

High water levels, ranging from 1.00 to 1.75 meters, are concentrated in Binh Dai, Ba Tri, and Thanh Phu districts of Ben Tre province; Chau Thanh and Duyen Hai districts of Ben Tre province; Tran De and Vinh Chau districts of Soc Trang province; and Bac Lieu city, Hoa Binh district, and Dong Hai district of Bac Lieu province.

Since the July flood is not expected to be very high, it will have little impact on summer-autumn and autumn-winter rice production areas, except for areas outside the dikes that need to be harvested before this time.

Corresponding to the flood level of 2 meters at Tan Chau at the end of July, the dike and embankment system basically met the requirements for protecting production. However, production areas located outside the dikes in the upstream provinces of the Mekong River such as An Giang, Dong Thap, and Long An (especially in Long An province, as there is still a considerable amount of production area outside the dikes) need to be closely monitored and have timely response measures.

Source: Agriculture Newspaper