Drought rages in the Central Highlands and South Central Coast
Lakes, rivers and wells in the South Central Coast and Central Highlands are drying up, threatening the lives of thousands of households in Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan and Gia Lai.
The province rarely has had any rain in the last six months, badly affecting 15,000ha of crops. Over 25,000 households with 93,000 people lack fresh water. The locals have to buy water from other provinces at the cost of VND80,000 to VND120,000 per cubic metre. The authorities have stopped providing water for agriculture activities to save them for household activities.
Nguyen Huu Phuoc, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the water left at the reservoir of Dai Ninh Hydropower Plant was 19 million cubic metres or 7% of the designed capacity. In early May, Binh Thuan had to declare a Level 2 drought emergency and the situation has worsened to a level 3 emergency now.
On May 8, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development asked the National Load Dispatch Centre under EVN to increase the discharge rate from 15,12 million cubic metres of water to 17.92 million cubic metres in order to water 13,000 ha of dragon fruits. Binh Thuan authorities will give priority to important areas like Phan Thiet City until June 30.
Meanwhile, in Khanh Hoa Province, the local authorities said without rain in the coming months, nearly 26,000 households with over 100,000 people would face water shortages. Work on 14,500 ha of rice may be halted or reduced so the water can be saved for household and industrial activities.
Drought has also caused large damage in Gia Lai and Kon Tum in the past months. Some streams have completely dried up. Even wells that are 160 metres deep are also drying up. The locals tried to dig up the streams but there wasn't enough water.
Drought rages in the Central Highlands and South Central Coast
The province rarely has had any rain in the last six months, badly affecting 15,000ha of crops. Over 25,000 households with 93,000 people lack fresh water. The locals have to buy water from other provinces at the cost of VND80,000 to VND120,000 per cubic metre. The authorities have stopped providing water for agriculture activities to save them for household activities.
Nguyen Huu Phuoc, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the water left at the reservoir of Dai Ninh Hydropower Plant was 19 million cubic metres or 7% of the designed capacity. In early May, Binh Thuan had to declare a Level 2 drought emergency and the situation has worsened to a level 3 emergency now.
On May 8, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development asked the National Load Dispatch Centre under EVN to increase the discharge rate from 15,12 million cubic metres of water to 17.92 million cubic metres in order to water 13,000 ha of dragon fruits. Binh Thuan authorities will give priority to important areas like Phan Thiet City until June 30.
Meanwhile, in Khanh Hoa Province, the local authorities said without rain in the coming months, nearly 26,000 households with over 100,000 people would face water shortages. Work on 14,500 ha of rice may be halted or reduced so the water can be saved for household and industrial activities.
Drought has also caused large damage in Gia Lai and Kon Tum in the past months. Some streams have completely dried up. Even wells that are 160 metres deep are also drying up. The locals tried to dig up the streams but there wasn't enough water.
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