Soc Trang inaugurates 516 billion VND mangrove drainage

On April 19, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment coordinated with the People's Committee of Soc Trang province to organize the inauguration ceremony of the Rach mop Irrigation works. This event is of special significance as Rach mop sluice is one of 80 national key projects and major projects were simultaneously started and inaugurated nationwide on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.

Attending the ceremony were Mr. Doan Hong Phong - Member of the Party Central Committee, Inspector General of the Government; Mr. Lam Van Man - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Soc Trang Provincial Party Committee; Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment.

Rach mop culvert is located on Rach mop river (about 500m from Hau river) bordering Nhon My commune (Ke Sach district) and Song Phung commune (Long Phu district, Soc Trang province). With a total investment of more than 516 billion VND, this is the 3rd largest irrigation project in the Mekong Delta. The project started on January 2023, and has so far completed all items, ensuring eligibility for acceptance and handover for use.

The project has a total water clearance width of 85 m, including 2 sewer compartments 35 m wide each compartment and 1 boat lock compartment 15 m wide. The sewer valve door is made of steel, operated open and closed with hydraulic cylinders. The project also includes residential roads and other auxiliary works, serving travel and operation needs.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Vuong Quoc Nam - Vice Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial People's Committee said that Rach mop Irrigation holds an important role in controlling salinity and keeping the sweetness, creating stable and sustainable direct production conditions for 19,220 hectares of agricultural land in Ke Sach, Chau Thanh, Long Phu districts and Soc Trang city. Minimize the impact of drought and salinity, proactively provide fresh water to over 36,000 hectares in Soc Trang and Hau Giang provinces.

"Rach mop culvert is also a strategic project, contributing to the implementation of the goal of sustainable agricultural development, adapting to climate change, and protecting the livelihoods of thousands of households in the project area," Mr. Nam emphasized.

According to Mr. Nam, the current irrigation works to control water resources in the area also create regional connectivity in the Ca Mau peninsula area; control saline intrusion in provinces bordering the East and West seas; create natural freshwater reservoirs of up to billions of m3 of water on rivers, canals, and ditches, serving the socio-economic development of the whole region.

The leaders of Soc Trang province said that in recent years, the drought and salinity have become complicated, affecting production and daily life of people and the ecological environment. According to monitoring results, salinity intrusion in the area in the first quarter of 2025 is higher than the average of many years, at times the 4g/l salinity boundary moves deep into the fields about 35 - 40 km.

Soc Trang province proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the 10 Irrigation Investment and Construction Management Board promptly deploy the remaining 5 sluices of the Southern Hau River Water Control Project; the project to invest in sluices along the Southern Hau River National Highway to the border of Hau Giang province; promptly implement the General Climate Resistance Project and sustainable livelihood conversion in the Mekong Delta, in which priority is given to starting construction of Dai Ngai sluice and My Xuyen sluice.

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