The Central Highlands is experiencing a severe water shortage as rainfall in the region, which is Vietnam’s largest coffee growing area, has dropped by 40 percent since the start of the rainy season.

As a result, water levels in the area’s major rivers, including the Dong Nai, Se San and Serepook, have fallen below the average level recorded over the last few years by 0.5-1 m. In particular, the Ba River in Gia Lai province is lower by 1.5-1.8m.

Gia Lai province has reported that 23,200 ha of crops have been badly affected by the water shortage, with losses estimated at 40 billion VND.

In Kon Tum, the dry weather has emptied more than 200 reservoirs, which provided water for 8,000 ha of rice paddies, 13,000 ha of coffee plants and 11,000 ha of other crops.

“The Winter-Spring rice crop will be seriously affected by the water shortage,” said the Director from the Kon Tum Agriculture and Rural Development Department, Nguyen Huu Hai.

Pham Tien San, who is in charge of irrigation in Dak Lak province, said the current shortage of water could possibly cause a serious drought in the province.

Dak Lak province has a total of 500 reservoirs and needs to ensure sufficient supplies of water for 28,000 paddy fields and 180,000 ha of coffee plants.

The Tay Nguyen Hydro-meteorology Forecasting Bureau has predicted that the Central Highlands will face severe droughts next year due to a lack of rain./.