The Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long has devised a number of measuresfor the development of a comprehensive irrigation system, according tothe provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development.

This year alone, it has set aside some 254 billion VND (11.87 millionUSD) in the construction of and upgrades to 234 irrigation projectsacross the province with priority given to building flood-proofembankments in Bac Mang Thit district and expanding irrigation canals.

Other focuses have been on projects to upgradeirrigation systems serving large-scale fields in Tam Binh district,embankments surrounding orchards and aquaculture farms in Quoi Thiencommune in Vung Liem district, Hoa Ninh and Binh Hoa Phuoc communes inLong Ho district and embankments protecting Binh Tan district’s crops tothe north of National Road 1A.

So far thisyear, 156 irrigation works worth a total of 64.3 billion VND (more than 3million USD) have been completed, supplying water to 91 percent of theprovince’s agricultural land.

As many as 15 out of 22 communes have met the irrigation criteria in the new rural area building programme.

During the rest of the year, the sector targets to accelerate theimplementation and operation of sewage and dam systems in the modernrural Thanh Binh commune and irrigation works for large-scale fields inTan An Luong commune, Vung Liem district, among others, to meet therequirements of local agricultural production restructuring.

Additionally, under the local irrigation system restructuring planfrom 2014-2020, nearly nine trillion VND (420.56 million USD) has beenallocated for developing rural areas.

Thelocality has also mobilised different resources to facilitate theconstruction, operation and management of local irrigation systems.-VNA