As residents in the Mekong Delta brace for climate change due to global warming, they also have to be aware of another threat: the Mekong River is drying up following massive construction of dams and hydropower plants upstream leading to saltwater floods in future.

This dry season has not only been the hottest in the last decade but has also seen the most serious saltwater intrusion ever recorded in the Mekong -- 72 kilometers from the coast to just eight kilometers from Can Tho, the region’s main city.

In 2004 saltwater intruded up to 12 kilometers from the city.

"Unless you radically improve the rate of efficiency of water use both in agriculture and industry, you are not going to close the gap between demand and supply,"he warned.

By Thoai Tran