HCMC – Nguyen Tan Thanh sluice, the Mekong Delta’s second-largest salinity control structure, has commenced operation, the Irrigation Work Investment and Construction Management Board 10 said on November 4.
Now managed by Tien Giang Province, this structure is designed to protect the region’s agriculture and freshwater resources from saltwater intrusion.
With a budget of over VND518 billion, the project aims to mitigate the impacts of climate change on agriculture and water supply in the area. It is second in size only to the Cai Lon-Cai Be sluice in Kien Giang Province.
Launched in November 2022, the project was completed ahead of schedule and became operational in early November 2024. It features a 40-meter-wide main gate with reinforced concrete and steel doors controlled by a hydraulic system, alongside a 150-meter-long, 12-meter-wide ship lock equipped with automated controls.
Earlier this year, the sluice was temporarily closed from March 1 to May 16 to manage irrigation during the dry season. Board 10 Deputy Director Kieu Van Cong credited the project’s timely completion to effective collaboration with local authorities, including the Tien Giang People’s Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Together with floodgates on Provincial Road 864, the Nguyen Tan Thanh sluice will create a network to prevent salinity intrusion, store freshwater, and support approximately 100,000 hectares of farmland. It will also secure water supplies for around 1.1 million people in Tien Giang and neighboring Long An Province.
Pham Van Trong, vice chairman of the Tien Giang People’s Committee, emphasized the project’s contribution to reducing regional water management costs, potentially saving tens of billions of Vietnamese dong by eliminating the need for temporary dykes and boosting agricultural productivity.
