Central region warned of drought
However, the
situation will not be as severe as last year and is hoped to improve in
late August, the centre’s experts said.
They
also warned of lower water levels in most regional rivers, resulted in
the deep intrusion of sea water, while t he rainy season is expected
to come late this year.
The region already suffered from
water shortage in the first four months of this year, with rainfall
levels dropping 50-90 percent this year compared to the first three
months of last year. The situation was especially serious in the
southern central provinces of Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Central
Highlands localities, where many areas saw no rain at all.
Meanwhile, water levels in reservoirs have reached only 60-70 percent of their designed capacity.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked affected
localities to preserve water in reservoirs and dredge rivers, canals and
wells to mitigate the impact of drought and saline intrusion.
The ministry has also asked the Prime Minister to order agencies to
help the localities affected by drought and saline intrusion.-VNA