Hydropower plants in the central province of Quang Nam have been urged to discharge water to prevent severe droughts in the area.

 Dak Mi 4 Hydropower Plant to discharge water

The emergency meeting was held on March 31 in Danang City between the Directorate of Water Resources, Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) and Quang Nam Province and Danang City authorities.

Deputy Director of Danang City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Huynh Van Thang said the rainfall since early 2013 into the Vu Gia River had been low. The water level in major reservoirs in Danang City had also not improved, affecting thousands of hectares of crops in the area and Cau Do Water Supply Station had to use its reserve water plant at high cost and risks.

According to Thang, the water shortage was not only caused by unfavourable weather, but also by the lack of water discharges from the Dak Mi 4 Hydropower Plant.

Facing a drought, Quang Nam Province authorities agreed to temporarily use sand bags to block some rivers branches. The water will be directed to Ai Nghia River for Danang City to prevent salinity and ensure sufficient water supplies for crops.

However, Dak Mi 4 explained that they also had to save water for other provinces in Quang Nam Province such as Hoi An, Duy Xuyen or Dien Ban which were also threatened by drought. A Vuong, another hydropower plant in the area said that their reservoirs had seen record low water levels.

At the meeting, a representative from EVN said they had requested the hydropower plants in the country to reduce operations to save water for crops. But they agreed to ask Dak Mi 4 and A Vuong to discharge water to ease the current water shortages in the central region.

"We can’t waste a single drop of water now. Dak Mi 4 and A Vuong will discharge water at the same time from May 15 to 30 and the farmers should quickly store water for their crops during this time," Nguyen Van Tinh, Deputy Director of Water Resources Department said. "However, local authorities should also reconsider their water demands during these months."

Rain will not come to the central region, Central Highlands and south central coast until late August. 34,000 people in the Central Highlands are threatened with food shortages from the on-going severe drought.