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Northern region hit by worst drought in century |
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Thursday, 10 December 2009 |
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Northern Vietnam may face its worst
drought in more than a century, from next January through April, a
conference held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MARD) was told on December 8.
Water levels in
most of the rivers in northern Vietnam over the past three months have
dropped far lower than the average levels in previous years, said
Irrigation Department deputy head Dam Hoa Binh.
Water levels in reservoirs located in the northern mountainous and the
northern central areas have also been very low, at only 60-70 percent
of their average capacities. Big hydropower reservoirs, Hoa Binh, Thac
Ba and Tuyen Quang, have seen water shortages of 600 million to 1.1
billion cubic metres compared to their designed levels.
The north has seen almost no rain since September and daylight hours
have increased, resulting in an enormous amount of evaporated water.
Temperatures measured in several areas in the northwest on November 10
and 11 and in the northern centre on the 11 th and 12 th were between
35-37 degrees Celsius, breaking past November records.
Meanwhile, temperatures from now through next April are also forecast
to be up by 0.5-1 degree Celsius compared to seasonal averages. Cold
spells will last no more than five days and it will start getting
warmer at the start of next March.
Director of the Central Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Centre Bui Minh Tang
said that there is no hope for rain in the region until December 18,
which would make agriculture totally dependent on reservoirs.
As the drought has already started in the north, the winter-spring
crops will need much more water than in previous years, about 20-30
percent, said deputy head of Cultivation Department Phan Huy Thong.
Although farmers have been warned of water shortages and advised to
switch to drought-resistant crops, such as subsidiary crops, no
localities are ready for change, he said.
To survive the record drought, the Irrigation Department has already
required local authorities to take some other actions besides switching
crops, including dredging irrigation systems, maintaining pumping
stations and tightening water “inventory” for more water savings./.
(Source:VNA)
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