As of early February, four of the 11 river basins had experienced water shortage, namely the Ma River, the Huong River, the Vu Gia – Thu Bon River, and the Ba River.

Water of many reservoirs in river basins has shrunk to below the minimum level since the beginning of the dry season, according to Chau Tran Vinh, Deputy Director of the MoNRE’s Department of Water Resources Management.

Facing that fact, many reservoirs have curbed water release or suspended electricity generation to improve supply capacity in the current dry season.

Since early December 2019, the department has also coordinated with localities and reservoir managers to cut down water release or reduce the agricultural production area amid water scarcity.

Therefore, despite modest water inflow, reservoirs are still maintaining or gradually increasing their water level to ensure enough supply in the dry season, Vinh said.

MoNRE Deputy Minister Le Cong Thanh requested localities to stay active in responding to drought and saltwater intrusion in the time ahead, noting that they needs to have detailed assessment of local water resources’ situation to take appropriate measures./.VNA

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