Mekong Delta farmers experienced the worst
dry season in history in 2016, and are now facing another severe season in
2017. A report from the General Department of Irrigation shows that in the 2016
dry season, farmers in the southern part of the central region had to stop
cultivating 23,000 hectares of rice because of the lack of water. The drought
affected 43,000 hectares of industrial crops in the Central Highlands and the
eastern part of the southern region. Meanwhile, a report of the Department of
Agricultural Economics showed that 300,000 households lacked water for daily
life in the dry season last year. Le Van Hieu, Soc Trang province deputy chair,
said drought and saline intrusion affected 31,000 hectares and caused damages
worth VND900 billion. Other localities reported damages worth VND15 trillion,
despite great efforts to mitigate the consequences from the natural calamity. According
to the Central Hydrological Forecast Center, rainfall in the Mekong Delta from
March to June will be less than the average level of recent years. Throughout
the 2016 - 2017 dry season, the Mekong River’s total flow to the region will be
15-30 percent lower than the average level, equal to the 2014-2015 season and
higher than 2015-2016. Duong Van Ni from Can Tho University warned that the
lack of water for Mekong Delta is not only because of the natural calamity, but
also due to appearance of a series of hydropower dams on Mekong. Laos now plans
to build another dam – Pak Beng – on the Mekong mainstream, which is predicted
to worsen the problem in the Delta. Dan Viet cited a report showing that in
2016, Viet Nam lost USD1.7 billion due to natural disasters, the worst damage
in the last 40 years. A series of extreme weather phenomena took place in the
year: Viet Nam sustained 10 typhoons, and seven tropical low pressure spells on
the East Sea, of which four typhoons and two tropical low pressure spells
directly affected the mainland. In addition, Viet Nam was affected by 24 spells
of cold weather, 22 heavy rains on a large scale, 5 major floods in the North,
and 16 major floods in the central region and central highlands’ rivers. The
reports from local authorities said there were total damages of VND39.276
trillion, much higher than the damages of VND8.1 trillion in 2015. Cong An Nhan
Dan quoted Deputy Director of Southern Meteorological and Hydrography Center
Dang Van Dung as reporting that El Nino may return to Viet Nam in July and
August, causing the summer to be hotter with more typhoons and super typhoons.
Viet
Nam Net – May 19 - http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/178596/dry-season-to-be-severe-this-year--experts.html
Dry season to be severe this year: experts
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