This time last year, many parts of the central region were submerged under floodwater, but this year’s unusual aridity in the middle of the rainy season offers little solace.
The people’s committees of provinces and cities across the country have been ordered to outline plans to fight drought and saline intrusion in the context of low water levels in many reservoirs, making it hard to provide sufficient water for agriculture production during the dry season 2018-2019.
Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon so far this year, is predicted to hit Vietnam’s northern region on September 17 morning and bring heavy downpours and strong winds to 27 northern and north central provinces and cities.
Super Typhoon Mangkhut is forecast to hit the northern mainland of Vietnam on September 17 and 18, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHF).
Prolonged, heavy torrential rains in the northern mountainous province of Son La from August 28-29 have caused flash floods and serious landslides in the locality.
At least six people have died and two others remain unaccounted for after storm Bebinca swept through the northern and north central regions of Vietnam on early August 17.
At least seven have died or gone missing due to flooding as an impact of storm Bebinca, which landed in Vietnam on late August 16, according to initial reports from Son La, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces.
Typhoon Bebinca, made landfall in the north central province of Thanh Hoa and weakened into a tropical low pressure early August 17, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on August 16 urged the central province of Thanh Hoa to mobilise all resources in order to protect the lives and property of local residents as Storm Bebinca approaches.
More than 600,000 people from the army, militia and military reserve are ready to be mobilised to respond to storm Bebinca, forecast to hit the mainland of Vietnam on the night of August 16.
Storm Bebinca is heading to coastline from northern Hai Phong city to north central Nghe An province at a speed of about 15km per hour, and is forecast to land over the next 24-48 hours.
Northern coastal provinces are bracing for storm Bebinca as the storm is forecast to land in the northern coastline from the Hai Phong city to Nghe An province.
Storm Bebinca, the fourth of its kind hitting the country this year, will result in downpours in northern and north central regions from the night of August 15 to August 17.
The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and the National Committee for Disaster Response, Search and Rescue issued an official dispatch in response to storm Bebinca, the fourth of its kind hitting the country this year.
The water levels in the Mekong River’s upstream are increasing, the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting said on August 11.
Localities in the Mekong Delta and some ministries have been urged to stay active to respond to and mitigate impact of flooding as the Mekong River is now in full spate and the water level still keeps rising.
Deputy chief of the Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Nguyen Truong Son asked localities in the Mekong Delta region to prepare measures to cope with natural disasters at a meeting in Hanoi on July 31.
More effective plans for natural disaster prevention are needed in the Mekong Delta, which plays an important role in the economy, but is threatened by natural disasters, climate change and landslides, Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority, said in Can Tho city on July 29.
