Vietnam's southernmost province to complete freshwater lake in May to deal with drought

According to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the lake, capable of holding 3.85 million cubic meters of water, is now 82% complete.

Work on it began in early 2021.

Workers at the construction site for Ca Mau's largest lake. Photo by VnExpress/An Minh

It is being built as part of the Mekong Delta Integrated Climate Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Project, and is funded by the World Bank. It will cost an estimated VND248 billion (US$9.91 million).

It was expected to be finished by the end of 2022, but the work was delayed due to weak soil foundation.

Once completed, it will reduce groundwater use, prevent erosion and help fight forest fires during the dry season.

It will later draw water from the Hau River, a tributary of the Mekong.

The lake’s water will be used in areas such as Tran Van Thoi and Thoi Binh districts and the Khanh An industrial complex, which are suffering from a shortage this dry season.

Lack of water in the delta has badly affected the lives and livelihoods of locals for over a month now.