Droughts, Salinization Cause Nearly $400M in Damage in Vietnam

Severe droughts and saltwater intrusion cost Vietnam’s south central region, the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta over VND8.9 trillion ($400 million) as of May 6, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control. The committee reported that the droughts made 432,863 households live in water shortages and damaged 249,036 hectares of paddy, 19,001 ha of vegetables, 30,194 ha of fruits, 131,941 ha of cash crop and 5,137 ha of aquatic products. The Southern Institute of Water Resources Research forecast that in May, saltwater intrusion would continue in a complicated manner and rain would not arrive yet. Meanwhile, water levels in reservoirs only met 51% of design capacity in the south central region, even 29% in the Central Highlands and 28% in the southern region. Vietnam is suffering its worst drought in nearly a century, which scientists blamed for the ongoing 2015-2016 El Nino weather phenomenon, one of the most powerful on record and the low water flow of the Mekong River due to dozens hydropower plants of Laos and China in the upper stream of the river. (chinhphu.vn May 10)