HANOI (Commodity Online): The rice bowl of Vietnam has been affected by salination of river water on rising sea level.
The Mekong delta areas are said to be the rice bowl of Vietnam, accounts for more than half of countries produce. Now it is seen that the rice production in these areas are coming to a standstill.
The rise in global warming has caused the sea level to rise.
"If there was a one-metre rise, we estimate 40% of the delta will be submerged; There is also the threat of cyclones and storms linked to climate change. The people in this area are not prepared for any of this." said Tran Thuc, director general of the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment was quoted by guardian .co.uk
The people living there are struggling for existence. The availability of fresh water had come down.
"I have to travel five hours upstream by boat to fetch water for drinking, washing and cooking," said Vo Thi Than, a 60 year old man , who cannot afford to buy fresh water from those who travel down the river selling from upstream.
The rice crop cannot be grown in saline condition.
According to the Ben Tre department of agriculture and rural development, salt water at four parts per thousand has, as of April, reached as far as 35 miles inland, causing serious damage to crops and livestock.
The people living there would be forced to switch crop and adjust to the new conditions.
The farmers there grow not only rice but also oranges, mandarins, lemons and coconuts which are also not prone to salty conditions.
One of the farming done now in these conditions is the shrimp farming. The farmers had to spend a lot of money to learn how to do it, to dig cultivation pool and also to buy shrimp food and medicines.
The government is providing loan to survive but takes a lot of money to farm shrimp, on which they rely mostly for their livelihood.
"Even if we stop all emissions worldwide now, the water will still rise 20 to 30 centimetres in the next few decades; at the moment the prediction is a rise of 75 centimetres by 2050. People in this region are still very poor and will need help from the international community to survive this." said the UN's Lai.
