About 20,090ha of farmland and over 2,600 households have been hit by drought and water scarcity in the Central Region, Central Highlands, and Southeastern Regions, which are now in the peak period of the 2023 - 2024 dry season.
Among the over 33,000ha of drought-hit forest in the southernmost province of Ca Mau, more than 13,530ha has fire potential rated as “dangerous” (Level 4) and nearly 4,000ha “extremely dangerous” (Level 5), local authorities said.
Saltwater intrusion up rivers is estimated to affect 29,260ha of rice sown in areas not zoned for the crop in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta as the region enters the peak dry season.
Laos has recorded 1,053 dengue fever cases, including one death since the beginning of the year, according to the Lao national health information centre.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has urged stepping up wildfire prevention measures as heatwaves are scorching many localities nationwide, increasing the risk of wildfires.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has demanded authorities in the central region focus on addressing consequences of recent abnormal downpours and floods amid the dry season.
The saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta region during this year’s dry season would occur earlier and be worse than previous years, warned the Department of Water Resources Management under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Thousands of residents in the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien – Hue will be able to get clean water from a project mitigating water shortages in the dry season that has started in the central region.
The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh will dredge its 18 main irrigation canals that run a total of 162 km in the next four years at a cost of 387 billion VND (16.7 million USD) to improve the supply of water for irrigation during the dry season.
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre will step up measures over the next five years to cope with saltwater intrusion in its rivers during the dry season, according to the provincial People’s Committee.
The Mekong Delta has experienced the most severe drought and saline intrusion ever in the dry season 2019-2020 but the negative impacts on agricultural production and daily life were minimised significantly thanks to effective measures, a top official has said.
Farmers in the south-central province of Binh Thuan in areas without public irrigation systems have dug ponds, built small reservoirs, and installed efficient irrigation systems as drought occurs during the dry season.