Rach Mop sluice gate promotes sustainable development of Soc Trang agriculture

STO - Rach Mop sluice gate, located in Song Phung commune, Long Phu district and Nhon My commune, Ke Sach district (Soc Trang). This is a key project of the Southern Hau River Water Control Project, which started in 2023 and was completed and officially put into use in mid-April 2025. This is a project implemented by the Central Government in Soc Trang province, aiming to control water resources with sluice gates and boat locks in the province, also creating inter-regional connectivity in the Ca Mau peninsula, controlling saltwater intrusion in the provinces bordering the East and West coasts, creating natural freshwater reservoirs on rivers, canals and streams.

Rach Mop sluice gate helps minimize damage caused by drought and salinity; proactively supplies fresh water to over 36,700 hectares in Soc Trang and Hau Giang provinces. Photo: THUY LIEU

Soc Trang is a province located in the downstream area of ​​the Hau River, with low terrain, many rivers and canals interwoven, and people's production depends largely on natural surface water sources. In recent years, due to the impact of climate change, drought and salinity have become increasingly complex, affecting agricultural production, people's lives and the ecological environment. Monitoring results of salinity intrusion in the province show that in the first months of 2025, salinity is higher than the average of many years. On the Hau River, there were times when the salinity boundary of 4 grams/liter during high tides moved deep into the fields, from 35 - 40km to Nhon My commune, Ke Sach district. In particular, in recent times, due to the influence of the strong Northeast monsoon, salinity tends to remain high even during low tides, causing difficulties in getting fresh water for people's production.

From the above difficulties, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has deployed the completion of the Rach Mop sluice gate to help the province better prevent and combat drought and salinity, and adapt to climate change. After being put into operation, the Rach Mop sluice gate has helped control salinity, retain fresh water, creating stable and sustainable production conditions for more than 19,000 hectares of agricultural land in Ke Sach, Chau Thanh, Long Phu districts and Soc Trang city; helping to minimize damage caused by drought and salinity, proactively supplying fresh water to over 36,700 hectares in Soc Trang and Hau Giang provinces and increasing flow circulation, improving the efficiency of acid drainage, washing away alum, and draining water, contributing to improving the ecological environment of the project area. Rach Mop sluice gate is not only a simple irrigation project but also a strategic project, contributing to realizing the goal of sustainable agricultural development, adapting to climate change, and protecting the livelihoods of thousands of households in the South Hau River area.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep commented that the Mekong Delta is currently facing many difficulties and problems. In order to successfully restructure the service industry, agriculture, including population arrangement and other industries, it is clear that the issue of stabilizing water resources is very important, including how to basically stabilize the salinity and freshwater boundary so that localities can base their water resources on long-term calculations and the current vision is 100 years, not just a few years. Therefore, engineering and non-engineering solutions must be implemented. In particular, engineering solutions such as Rach Mop sluice gate to regulate salinity and freshwater combined with preventing high tides, reducing subsidence, reducing landslides, and reducing urban flooding are solutions that need to be urgently implemented in the coming time. In addition, according to the direction of the General Secretary and the Politburo this time, it is necessary to make a comprehensive project on issues related to the Mekong Delta, with the issues arising in the Mekong Delta to implement, including the implementation form of building Rach Mop sluice gate - one of the types of works that the ministry will report in the upcoming project, requesting the Politburo to direct the overall implementation.

Comrade Vuong Quoc Nam - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province said that Soc Trang province is committed to continuing to accompany ministries, branches and investors to continue implementing the remaining items of the Southern Hau River Water Control Project along with other important works and projects in the agricultural sector; at the same time, the province will strive to implement sustainable development solutions, associated with environmental protection, climate change adaptation and improving people's lives.

Soc Trang province hopes that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will continue to support the province in implementing the project of investing in sluices along the National Highway Nam Song Hau to the border with Hau Giang province, in order to enhance the ability to regulate water, control salinity - retain fresh water, serve production and stabilize people's livelihoods in the whole region. Promote procedures to soon implement the Project "Integrated climate resilience and livelihood transformation in the Mekong Delta for sustainable and prosperous development (WB11)", in which, priority is given to starting the construction of Dai Ngai sluice and My Xuyen sluice as soon as possible.

THUY LIEU

Source: https://baosoctrang.org.vn/nong-nghiep/202506/cong-au-rach-mop-thuc-day-nong-nghiep-soc-trang-phat-trien-ben-vung-c514991/