A high risk of drought and water scarcity has been warned for the south central and Central Highlands regions of Vietnam from March to May this year.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), drought will lead to saltwater intrusion in river mouth areas in central and southern areas of the central region during the period.

From late February to May, rainfall will be lower than the average in many years in the Central Highlands, south central regions, as well as in the south.

Small floods are likely occur on rivers in the central and Central Highlands regions as from the latter half of May.

The NCHMF also predicted that saltwater intrusion in river mouth areas of the southern region will be more serious than in 2017 and 2018. It recommended southern localities proactively gear up to deal with the situation.

Meanwhile, the stormy season in the East Sea is likely to come later than the average of many years, it noted, warning gales, lightning, whirlwinds and hailstorms nationwide in the transition period from April to May.-VNA