On the afternoon of March 18, Mr. Ho Ngoc Hau, Deputy Director of Ben Tre Province Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited - the unit managing Kenh Lap freshwater reservoir, confirmed to Dan Tri reporter that the water in this reservoir is exceeding the standard salinity.
Kenh Lap Lake (Photo: Bao Ky).
"The water in Ba Lai River and the canals around Kenh Lap Lake have been affected by saltwater intrusion, but the lake is not leaking. The water in the lake is salty because the soil in the lake bed was already salty.
Due to the hot weather and strong evaporation, the salinity will increase by 0.1‰ every 2 weeks. Currently, the lake water is more than 0.6‰ salty, slightly exceeding the standard," said Mr. Hau.
Mr. Hau added that the standard for domestic water in Ben Tre is salinity below 0.5‰. Although the water in Kenh Lap Lake is salty, it is the best source of domestic water in the area.
In the coming time, if the hot weather continues, the lake water may increase in salinity. However, the management unit predicts that the salinity will not exceed 1‰ during this year's dry season.
Kenh Lap Freshwater Reservoir (Ba Tri District, Ben Tre Province) was built in 2017 with a cost of 85 billion VND. The reservoir has the function of storing fresh water to serve the daily needs during the dry season for about 200,000 people living in the area.
Kenh Lap Lake began storing water in 2019, with a capacity of 800,000m³. Over the years, the lake has greatly contributed to helping local people cope with drought and salinity.
During the rainy season, the lake operator continuously takes in and drains water to wash away the residual salinity in the lake bottom soil. Over time, the salinity of the lake water in the dry season gradually decreases.
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