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dam-l Mekong Delta soil fertility and flow changes
>To: dam-l@lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca
>From: Don McAllister <mcall@superaje.com> (by way of "D. Murray"
<dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>)
>Subject: Mekong Delta soil fertility and flow changes
>
>SOIL FERTILITY STUDIES SHOW STRAINS
>EMERGING
>
>
>HANOI - Vietnam is making the most of agriculture in
>the Mekong Delta although soil fertility is falling and
>water flows are becoming unstable on the complex
>river system, an expert said on Thursday.
>
>Pham Van Kiem, associate professor at Can Tho
>University in southern Vietnam, said that despite the
>environmental constraints he believed rice export
>targets in the delta could be maintained into the
>foreseeable future. Hanoi has set a country-wide goal
>of shipping four million tonnes of the staple this year.
>
>"We have basically exploited the maximum area for
>(crop) plantations. Only a part of the region is
>forested, which is just to balance the ecology," Kiem
>said in a telephone interview from the bustling
>Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.
>
>Vietnam's Mekong Delta spreads out across 12
>southern provinces and is the country's key food
>source. It also accounts for the bulk of rice exports,
>along with fruits, rubber and seafood products.
>
>The Mekong River, the longest in Southeast Asia,
>originates in the Tibetan plataeu and flows for 4,800
>km (3,000 miles) through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand,
>Cambodia and Vietnam before spilling into the South
>China Sea.
>
>More than 3.5 million hectares (8.67 million acres) of
>Vietnam's Mekong Delta area of nearly four million
>hectares (9.88 million acres) were being exploited for
>agriculture in 1997, Kiem said.
>
>But Kiem, a well-known expert on the delta, said soil
>fertility studies showed strains emerging.
>
>One delta province, Tien Giang, showed that farmers
>previously yielded five tonnes of paddy per hectare
>using just 60 kg of urea fertiliser.
>
>"Now to reach that yield per hectare, farmers need
>about 90-100 kg of urea," Kiem said, without giving
>any timeframe for when good yields meant less
>fertiliser.
>
>Nevertheless, Kiem said Vietnam, one of the world's
>top rice exporters, would be able to realise shipment
>targets of four million tonnes of the staple this year
>and beyond. The Mekong Delta would contribute a
>major portion of this target.
>
>"Total yields from agriculture production in the delta
>will remain stable," he said, adding that stability also
>depended on the weather, which sometimes delivers
>heavy flooding.
>
>The Mekong Delta yielded 13.96 million tonnes of
>paddy last year, according to official statistics, out of
>a total estimated 27.6 million tonnes for the whole
>country.
>
>Kiem said experts had been studying how to upgrade
>rice quality in the delta.
>
>But he said attention should also focus on post-crop
>issues, such as processing and storage.
>
>One issue that has raised concern in Vietnam is
>unstable water flow along the Mekong River due to
>destruction of forests in countries upstream. Plans to
>set up hydropower stations could also pose a
>problem for the delta, Kiem said.
>
>He said logging in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia had
>caused water volume on the Mekong River to
>fluctuate, with heavier flooding in the wet season and
>lower levels in the dry months.
>
>Vietnam's rainy season usually starts in the south at
>the end of April and lasts until October. The dry
>period occurs in the remaining months.
>
>"Some Vietnam provinces such as Dong Thap and
>Can Tho have replanted forests," Kiem said, adding
>that Hanoi had protested against plans to build water
>reservoirs for power stations upstream. He did not
>name any countries.
>
>Kiem also said salination was a problem when water
>levels hit low levels, such as during a drought earlier
>this year. This had affected agriculture and the
>aquaculture industry, he said.
>
>The Mekong River splits into two main branches in
>Vietnam. These link up with a maze of water
>channels that make boats the main mode of
>transportation.
>
>(C) Reuters Limited 1998.
>
>
>
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Dianne Murray,
Coordinator, Dam-Reservoir Working Group
Webmistress, Dam-Reservoir Impact and Information Archive
http://www.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca/dams
vox: 1-613-520-2757 fax:1-613-520-3898 e: dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca
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