Province to build largest reservoir in Mekong Delta to cope with droughts, salinity
Authorities in Ben Tre Province have approved a plan to build the Mekong Delta’s largest freshwater reservoir to help tackle drought and salinity during the dry season.
Construction of the Lac Dia Lake, which will have a capacity of 1.3 million cubic meters, is expected to begin in 2021 and take five years, according to Nguyen Huu Lap, the province’s vice chairman.
The 57-hectare four-meter-deep lake will actually be part of a 121-hectare residential and cultural complex that will cost over VND352 billion ($15 million).
The lake will have enough water for five months for 59,500 households in Ba Tri District and 150,000 head of cattle, 340 commercial establishments and 255 health centers and schools.
“Since the Mekong Delta suffered the worst drought in a century in 2016 it became necessary to build the freshwater reservoir, and Ben Tre is proposing to build more reservoirs in three coastal districts,” Lap said.
Hoang Nam
